Top Personal Injury Law Changes of 2018

Pain free life is valued as part of the dream of the Good Life by most Canadians.  The elimination of auto victims rights in 2018 and the increase in the ICBC monopoly on car insurance is therefore a shocking embarrassment to our democratic principles in British Columbia. Minor Injury Cap passed 2018 will apply to all car…

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Government Auto Monopoly ICBC to Control Access to Medical Care

The growth of auto insurance giant ICBC has come at greater cost than just higher car insurance premiums. It has meant losing patient rights and control over access to proper medical care. Innocent victims of personal injury can expect less medical coverage after April 1, 2019, especially if they have been paying for the benefit of…

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Car Accident Claim Capped 2018?

What Your ICBC Claim is Worth in the Era of Injury Caps British Columbia now has a cap for minor injuries sustained in car accidents. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, bicycle accident or pedestrian accident some of your ICBC compensation might be capped or reduced if you have private insurance. Consult a personal injury…

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Rear Ending Vehicle Not Faulted for Agony of Collision

In this unusual car accident case the claimant was driving west on Marine Way in Burnaby approaching Byrne Road when a vehicle driving east lost control of his car, went over the median and collided with the claimant’s vehicle. Another vehicle was travelling west on Marine Way behind the claimant and rear-ended the claimant’s vehicle. The claims…

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Jury Approved for Intricate and Complex Injury Case

In our Province, even insurance companies have a right to a jury in personal injury matters. We review an application by an injury claimant to strike a jury notice on the grounds the case was too complicated and required scientific investigation. The personal injury case arose from a motor vehicle accident that occurred in Delta, British Columbia (Khan v.…

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Beating an Offer to Settle: 5 Principles for Double Costs

In awarding this personal injury claimant double costs for beating the pre-trial offer of settlement, the Supreme Court has articulated 5 key principles to consider if you beat an offer to settle. The defendant insurer State Farm cancelled a mediation because their view was that mediation to settle the car accident claim had little chance of…

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Divisibility and Liability in Multiple Car Accident Claims

This Court of Appeal case arose from a three car accident personal injury claim. This case was complicated by numerous tortious and non-tortious incidents which caused or aggravated the chronic mental and physical injuries before and after the car accidents in question.(Khudabux v. McClary,2018 BCCA 234) A review of the trial judge’s reasons can be found at  $75,000 pain and suffering Award for…

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No Mistrial for Withdrawn Violation Ticket Presented to Jury

The personal injury claimant was turning left at a dedicated left-turn lane in order to enter the parking lot of Kensington Square Shopping Centre on East Hastings Street in Burnaby, B.C. and collided with another vehicle travelling eastbound on East Hastings Street (Jones v. Frohlick,2018 BCCA 170). He suffered a displaced fracture of the sternum, and injuries…

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Reporting after a Car Accident

This is what you need to do for an accident in British Columbia, a province with an automobile compensation scheme different than any other legal jurisdiction in the world. We have a combined no fault and tort based system for automobile insurance and compensation. You will therefore be responsible for several deadlines in both claims. For ICBC accident benefits…

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ICBC Allowed to Deny and Admit Liability for Same Car Accident

The Court of Appeal has ruled that admitting liability and settling a lawsuit but also denying liability in another lawsuit for the same car accident is not an abuse of process. (Glover v. Leakey,2018 BCCA 56) This case involved a car accident in which two lawsuits were commenced by different occupants. In one lawsuit ICBC admitted their…

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