Roslin, Ont. farmer faces insurance dispute after life-changing accident

Tyler Goodfellow doesn’t remember much about what happened before or after a life-changing accident on his property in Roslin, Ont., about a half an hour north of Belleville, last year.

“Being the middle of the night,” Goodfellow said, “no one being around, not able to talk, not able to move, hoses and wires coming out of me, it was pretty terrifying.”

Goodfellow says he eventually learned he had suffered a spinal cord injury and a stroke, leaving him paralyzed on one side of his body.

The injuries have also changed how he lives and works on his farm. He turned to his insurance company, hoping his catastrophic injury coverage would help make his home and farm more accessible.

“Adaptations to the farm to compensate for the work that I can’t do anymore and to help me get back to doing things around here,” Goodfellow said.

Goodfellow says his policy provides up to $1 million in coverage for a catastrophic injury, but he says he has faced challenges accessing that money for the changes he says he needs. Warren WhiteKnight, his lawyer, says the dispute comes down to what the insurance company considers reasonable and necessary.

“That’s where the contention comes in,” WhiteKnight said. “What the Goodfellows think is reasonable and necessary is different from what the Co-operators think.”

The company said in a statement that it “Recognizes the impact that this significant accident has had” on Goodfellow, but added that because this is an active claim, it cannot discuss the specifics of the matter.

For Goodfellow, the dispute is adding another layer of stress to an already difficult new reality.