Making An ICBC Injury Claim- A Case Study into What Not to Do

The following personal injury case will be used as a case study into what not to do as a personal injury claimant. Almost everything a personal injury claimant should not do after a car accident, is contained in this injury case (T. v. ICBC, 2015 BCSC 359). The trial judge should be commended, if not compensated…

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No Car Damage but Judge Wrong to Ignore Medical Evidence of Injury

A new trial has been ordered for this personal injury claimant after the trial judge dismissed the case without any justifiable reason. This personal injury cases gives some assurance that claimant’s can stand up to judges that inject their own opinions in place of medical experts. This case is also a warning to trial judges…

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Factors for Valuing a Personal Injury Case

Understanding how to put a proper value on a personal injury case requires understanding the essential basics of estimating and assessing in personal injury law. Accidents after April 1, 2019 are subject the the ICBC Minor Injury Caps.First, the purpose for civil damages is to put a victim back in the position they were before…

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Auto Injury Claim Dismissed due to Lack of Care

The Court of Appeal has upheld the dismissal of this personal injury lawsuit as the claimant entered the intersection imprudently without care and attention and at a time when the  other vehicle constituted a threat of collision (Jones v. Treloar, 2014 BCCA 492). The claimant was driving his motorcycle at Georgia Street and  Broughton Street in Vancouver…

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What does it Take to Completely Lose your Personal Injury Case

The personal injury case I review involved a low velocity motor vehicle accident on the Fraser Highway in which the Judge concluded that no injury had been established (2014 BCSC 2135) . The Claimant had a history of addiction, abused both street and prescription narcotics, endured a catastrophic industrial accident and significant injuries prior to the…

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Injury Claimant’s Failure to use Hazard Light Results in 60% Fault

This was  an appeal from a personal injury case apportioning 60% of the liability for a motor vehicle accident to the injury claimant. The car accident occurred on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway between Vancouver and North Vancouver (Langille v. Marchant, 2014 BCCA 430). The claimant rear-ended a vehicle  after passing the crest on…

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Offer to Settle from ICBC Must meet Rule Requirements

The injury claimant was found to be totally at fault for a car accident at the intersection of King George Boulevard  and 68th Avenue, in Surrey, B.C. His personal injury claim was therefore dismissed and today I review the decision of the Judge regarding the case costs awarded to the successful defendant (Henry v. Bennett, 2014 BCSC…

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Drunk Gyrating Passenger Hits Steering Wheel Causing Crash

Driver and passenger were both drunk returning from an alcohol fueled weekend in the Okanagan. Four friends from the Lower Mainland were all drinking in the car when the injury claimant, the front seat passenger, began gyrating wildly to loud music which resulted in her hitting the steering wheel. The speeding vehicle swerved into a ditch…

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Pedestrian Wins Appeal But no Increased or Special Costs

This personal injury Claimant was walking through a parking lot of a strip mall in Cranbrook, B.C. when he was struck by and injured by a motor vehicle. The trial judge concluded that the driver was 33 1/3% liable and the Claimant was 66 2/3% liable for the accident.  However the Claimant’s appeal was allowed and…

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Hit and Run Vehicle at Fault for Overtaking in Snow

Hit and Run personal injury claims in British Columbia require injury claimants to name ICBC as a nominal defendant and prove that the unknown driver was at fault. In this hit and run bifurcated summary liability trial (Link v. Insurance Corporation of British Columbia,2014 BCSC 1765) the determination of liability was the sole issue before…

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