The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, insures all guilty BC drivers. ICBC also insures the injured claimant for purposes of ICBC accident injury benefits. The result is a mandatory state controlled insurance scheme. By law, ICBC has the monopoly on third party liability auto insurance. So it can be difficult to achieve a fair…
This whiplash claimant was awarded $110,000 for pain and suffering despite an ICBC assessment of $5,000. Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, was the insurer of the guilty driver. The claimant was a passenger in a car that was rear ended. The defendants’ vehicle sustained no damage. There was minor damage to the claimant’s vehicle.…
Evaluating how much your ICBC injury claim is worth for chronic pain will now depend on the date of the accident. Attorney General David Eby has artificially defined chronic pain as a “minor injury” for accidents after April 1, 2019 to save ICBC money. Mr. Eby has clogged the courts by encouraging ICBC to low…
The claimant witnessed his wife get hit by a motorcycle as they jaywalked across Yates Street in Victoria. Although not hit himself, the claimant suffered a severe emotional reaction. He therefore claimed compensation for the mental injury. Nervous Shock : Legal Elements “Psychiatric injury” is the favoured term over “nervous shock” (see 1999 decision of…
British Columbia now has a cap for minor injuries sustained in car accidents after April 1, 2019. If you’ve been injured in an auto accident some of your ICBC compensation might be capped or reduced if you have private insurance. There is no injury cap for car accidents before April 1, 2019. How Much My…
Blaming innocent victims for not calling expert witnesses sounds unfair. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia defends guilty drivers. The guilty drivers blame claimants for not paying doctors to testify at trial. Then they ask the court to draw an adverse inference. The current government changed the expert rules to help the state run auto…
ICBC Injury Caps ICBC settlement payouts after April 1, 2019 have changed. Compensation for pain and suffering is limited to $5,500 for cases of minor injury. Learn right away whether ICBC will label you as a minor injury. The $5,500 cap does not apply to wage loss or case expenses. There are however other payout…
ICBC pays loss of income to a max of $300 per week for car accident injuries. After April 1, 2019 ICBC disability increases to $740.00 Max. ICBC deducts any wage loss benefits received from EI or a private disability plan. ICBC Disabilty Deducted The April 1, 2019 increase in ICBC disability benefits comes with a…
There are several new considerations when it comes to settling ICBC injury cases this year (**see update 2020 ICBC settlement predictions). ICBC began 2019 by withdrawing many settlement offers made in 2018 surprising many claimants without lawyers. Here is what to look out for when it comes to ICBC settlements: ICBC Internal Policy – ICBC…
As an advocate for the injured for over 23 years I have never experienced the level of discrimination now faced by auto injury victims in British Columbia. The Attorney General, our chief advisor of law to the government, distains injury victims access to legal advice and the court system, recently blaming lawyers for pushing back against the monopoly…