ICBC injury claimants need to be aware that accepting an offer to settle is a binding agreement and further requests to ICBC to make their “best offer” will be futile. In today’s case study the court was asked by ICBC to declare that the personal injury lawsuit was settled for $20,000 plus court costs, for which the court…
ICBC can force injury claimants to attend a medical examination to verify the injuries claimed. In the past it has been a common practice for ICBC to have investigators follow claimants from their home to the examinations and follow them afterward. However the Court no longer agrees that this is appropriate and has ruled in…
Negotiating for settlement or for injury benefits after a car accident can be daunting if you have never had a personal injury claim before. Even the most seasoned lawyers will refer ICBC claimants to an experienced personal injury lawyer if this is not their field. These experienced personal injury lawyers are worth their weight in gold and…
There have always been distractions for drivers since the invention of the automobile, yet the buzz term “distracted driving” claims to be a new phenomenon. This deliberately euphemistic and ambiguous term has been used to justify a massive increase in fines to the public and higher insurance premiums hence more profits for Canadian auto insurers. In…
Our law makes it more difficult to sue local governments than private citizens. Local governments are treated differently from other litigants in BC by requiring injury claimants to give written notice within a very short period following an incident to the local government. Most local citizens are unaware of this requirement and when injured on city…
This car accident claimant with born with spina bifida, scoliosis and kyphosis. When she was three she had her fibula taken from her left leg and fused into her spine. All her life, she has suffered pain, primarily from the kyphosis. However, she has always managed that pain (Cantwell v. Warren, 2017 BCSC 856). The car accident…
The victim of a drunk driving accident settled with ICBC by way of an all-inclusive payment by ICBC in the amount of $212,000. The drunk driver responsible admitted the settlement was reasonable but denied being drunk and refused to repay ICBC the settlement amount paid to his victim, as is required in such cases of insurance…
A sprinkling of true judicial magic was used to arrive at a fair award in this multiple injury case. This was a complicated personal injury case arising from three car accidents wherein the injury claimant settled the second of the three claims with the Minister of Justice but could not reach settlement with Insurance Corporation of…
In this self represented car accident case the injury claimant was awarded $49,000 for what she called incapacitating and permanent injuries. The claimant asked the court to award her approximately $175,000 for pain and suffering s, $243,000 in past wage loss, $616,000 for impaired earning capacity, $409,000 in future care costs, $20,000 in housekeeping expenses and $12,000…
No, ICBC cannot close your file. ICBC is governed by the protection of privacy legislation prohibiting indiscriminate destruction of personal information. If you have complied with the claim application process the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, typically has 30 to 60 days to pay the benefits. Accident Benefits are payable by ICBC, in the case of weekly…