British Columbia ICBC Accident Benefits Lawyers

In 2021, the British Columbia government switched auto insurance to a no-fault model, greatly limiting road users’ ability to receive valuable damages following an accident.

B.C.’s Insurance (Vehicle) Act requires everyone who owns and/or operates a motor vehicle throughout the province to be sufficiently insured. By law, all drivers in the province should have the provincially mandated level of automobile insurance.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, commonly known as ICBC, is the sole provider of basic automobile insurance in the province. ICBC is a Crown corporation, meaning it is owned by the provincial government. Since all drivers are required to pay for ICBC’s Basic Autoplan insurance coverage, any motorist who is injured as the result of a collision should be entitled to collect Part 7 benefits. These benefits cover B.C. residents for injuries that occur in a car crash anywhere in Canada or the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Also known as no-fault benefits, Part 7 benefits should be available to injured survivors of motor vehicle collisions, no matter who was responsible for causing the injurious collision to occur. Even if one driver’s negligence was solely responsible for creating the dangerous conditions that led to the car accident, if they sustained injuries in the crash, they should be able to collect Part 7 benefits.

Part 7 benefits are meant to help car accident survivors shoulder the financial burdens arising from the injuries they have sustained. Access to no-fault accident benefits is not limited to insurance policyholders alone; if an uninsured cyclist, pedestrian, vehicle occupant, or other road-user is injured in a collision, they should be entitled to accident benefits to help them cover their injury-related costs.

However, accident survivors must prove their need for them to the satisfaction of ICBC’s assessors for as long as they receive the benefits.

In order to collect no-fault accident benefits, injured car crash survivors will generally be required to submit an ICBC claim in the days following their accident. Unfortunately, doing so can be difficult, especially for those who have been physically or mentally incapacitated as a result of the collision in which they were involved. 

Additionally, claimants who are able to submit their documentation to ICBC in a timely manner often face other hurdles and road-blocks. This is especially true for injured car accident victims whose claims for Part 7 benefits are denied by ICBC. Thanks to recent changes to the ICBC’s “Enhanced Care” coverage that limit injured accident victims’ options for financial recovery in the aftermath of a motor vehicle collision, car crash survivors whose accident benefits claims have been turned down by ICBC could face serious economic consequences. Under B.C.’s no-fault model, which came into effect on May 1, 2021, a person injured in a car accident can not sue the person found at-fault for the accident for damages. Instead, anyone injured, no matter the level of responsibility for the collision, is only entitled to ICBC’s Enhanced Care benefits. Even car crash survivors who have sustained moderate injuries could find themselves struggling to keep up with all of their newly-acquired costs and expenses, especially if they are unable to work as a result of their injuries and do not have access to paid sick leave. 

No one should be forced to navigate the complicated, frustrating, bureaucratic process of filing a claim for ICBC accident benefits alone. Our British Columbia ICBC accident benefits lawyers are committed to helping injured survivors of motor vehicle collisions by providing clear, case-specific feedback and advice to every prospective client who takes advantage of a free initial consultation. That said, we are generally only able to represent clients whose claims stem from injuries sustained before May 1, 2021, when no-fault insurance took effect. If you have questions about completing your ICBC accident benefits claim, or if your claim for ICBC accident benefits has been unfairly denied, consider booking a no-obligation, cost-free first meeting with Preszler Injury Lawyers by contacting us today.

What Do ICBC Accident Benefits Cover?

It can be difficult to imagine just how expensive recovering from injuries can be. Regardless of an injury’s severity, it could have a disruptive impact on a car accident survivor’s life– and livelihood– for years following their collision. 

That is why ICBC’s Basic Autoplan provides Part 7 benefits coverage. After being involved in a collision, injured insurance policyholders and other road-users whose lives have been turned upside down by the actions of a negligent motorist could face legitimate financial distress without access to sufficient coverage from ICBC. 

Part 7 benefits should provide injured car accident survivors with compensation for costs they have incurred as a result of being injured in a crash. These might include costs arising from the accident victim’s necessary medical treatment– such as prescription drugs and other medical expenses– as well as their rehabilitative process. Those expenses might include the costs of attendant care, mobility devices, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, mileage to and from medical appointments, housekeeping services for those who can no longer attend to their domestic responsibilities, and more.

Furthermore, Part 7 benefits should also help injured car crash survivors replace income they have lost as the result of being unable to continue working in their chosen occupational field. However, income loss benefits are usually not available to injured car accident victims until they have exhausted the other benefits, including Employment Insurance (EI).

Finally, the immediate family members of car accident victims whose lives have been cut short because of the actions of a negligent driver might be able to recover death benefits from ICBC. Death benefits are designed to replace funeral expenses, burial costs, and certain other financial losses incurred by bereaved relatives as a result of their loved one’s premature death.

No one ever pictures themselves being in a situation where they will need to know what kind of insurance coverage might be available to them after a serious automobile accident. That is precisely why consulting with our ICBC accident benefits lawyers serving all of British Columbia could be beneficial to recently injured car crash survivors and the immediate relatives of wrongfully deceased accident victims.

If you have questions about how to file a claim for ICBC accident benefits or would like to know more about the Part 7 benefits to which you should be entitled, contact Preszler Injury Lawyers today. By calling 1-844-373-8202, you can schedule a free initial consultation on your case with our British Columbia ICBC accident benefits lawyers and receive personalized feedback about your claim. 

Can British Columbia ICBC Accident Benefits Lawyers Help Appeal an Unfair Decision?

Unfortunately, ICBC often looks for reasons to withhold Part 7 benefits from injured car crash survivors who should, by all accounts, deserve to receive them.

To learn more about how you might benefit from our assistance, call 1-844-373-8202 and speak with our British Columbia ICBC accident benefits lawyers today.