Latest news with #ICBC
Global News
4 days ago
- Health
- Global News
70-year-old hit-and-run victim says ICBC left her in the dark about coverage
A 70-year-old woman who was injured in a Vancouver hit-and-run is speaking out about her experience with ICBC. Loreen English was hit by an SUV as she was crossing Grandview Highway at Slocan Street on July 11. The vehicle drove off, and no one got a clear look at the licence plate. 'I couldn't lift my head because I have a broken collarbone, I've got a fractured left hip and pelvis, broken nose, blood's pouring from my face,' English told Global News. But English said her trouble with ICBC began after she was in hospital and started to try and process her claim. 'When I got in touch with ICBC,(they said) well, we need to know if the licence plate, if it was a B.C. plate or if it was from out of province,' she said. Story continues below advertisement 'It's a hit and run. You're probably never going to know that. And then she tried to explain to me, 'Well, you know, it depends, because if it's an out-of-province vehicle, it'll fall under different insurance.'' 2:06 B.C. artist still battling ICBC after crash leaves him with permanent eye damage From there, English alleges things went downhill. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy She said she wasn't getting clear answers from the public insurer about what mobility equipment and treatment services she would be eligible for. 'All I was getting was, well, just keep the receipts. We may not or we may cover, but keep the receipts. I'm a senior. I'm on a basic pension. I'm living in subsidized housing. I can't forecast,' she said. 'I just needed to know when I leave here, I'm going to have to have equipment in my apartment, equipment to sleep, proper equipment to walk, proper to get me from just simple things like the laundry room or go get my mail and go to the apartment. Because I cannot walk on my own.' Story continues below advertisement English said ICBC only became responsive once she involved Global News. 'Boom, my phone started to blow up with ICBC trying to call me,' she said. ICBC spokesperson Greg Harper stressed that at no point did the insurer deny benefits to English. 'When we were first informed of the claim, roughly two weeks ago, we didn't have information about the driver or the vehicle involved, so we sought out that information while she was recovering in hospital,' he said. He acknowledged that if police were able to confirm the driver was from out of province, then English would have to deal with that person's insurer, but said ICBC would still cover anything the primary insurer didn't. 2:16 Widow upset with ICBC 'no fault' settlement for deadly crash But he maintained that she would be fully covered either way. Story continues below advertisement 'Our focus right now is her transition from the hospital to her home. We want to make sure that's as smooth as possible. So we have a hospital discharge team that's been working with hospital staff. We have an occupational therapist that's been assigned to her case as well,' he said. Harper added that English would be eligible for modifications to her home or help with her day-to-day activities, if they're necessary. English, meanwhile, said the experience has left a 'bad taste' in her mouth. 'I think they should be much more open to the victim as to the steps that they are going to take, let that person know, because when you are you are crippled up, you're in pain, you're on medication that you don't really normally take, and you're sitting here lying in bed worrying and just driving yourself crazy, worrying about how are you going to manage when you leave the hospital,' she said. 'I think ICBC should be really sympathetic and really point out immediately what's going to happen, what are the steps … we're going to hold your hand. We're going to get through this.' Vancouver police, meanwhile, continue to search for the driver in the collision. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is asked to contact the VPD Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012 or email vpdciu@
Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Letters to The Sun: ICBC leaves accident victims high and dry
Re: Despite lifelong eye injury from crash, ICBC's no-fault rules means man gets $0 Re: Why accident victims face an uphill battle challenging ICBC decisions under no-fault insurance system The experiences of Richard Broad and Reagan Kucher-Lang (and many others) illustrate how ICBC's no-fault insurance is grossly inadequate in protecting the interest of its customers. The public is totally at the mercy of a Crown corporation that is bent on protecting its own interest instead of its clients'. Victims of car accidents like Mr. Broad and Mr. Kucher-Lang are left high and dry at the time when they most need support. As I have opined before, ICBC is a blatant conflict of interest and its insurance is not worth the paper it's written on. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Dr. Frederick Kwong, Vancouver Re: How videos are helping dementia patients at Metro Vancouver care homes remember daily routines I had to shake my head as I have a sister in long-term care. I'm a regular visitor three to four times weekly. I see patients regularly sitting in front of their meals — with dementia, patients lack initiative, and unless a real person is there to prompt them, not a video, the food and fluids are very often left. I see families come by and think this is an isolated incident, but it tells me they know little about dementia. There is nothing that can replace a care aide actively involved to coax our loved ones at the meal time. Instead of videos, why aren't we baby boomers — who have always had high expectations — fighting for more staff in care facilities? Visit more often to see that your loved one is emotionally supported — only family can do this as staff are too busy doing basic physical care. I appreciate all the care aides out there, and other allied staff, but the system falls short. Let's all be part of the solution. Maureen Roper, North Vancouver Re: Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim wants review of industrial lands designation of five major areas Where do urban mayors such as Ken Sim think the industrial and light industrial land uses will relocate if they zone them out of their cities to be replaced by residential uses? This results is a domino effect and places pressure on the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) as industrial land users seek to replace this land. The short-sighted nature of these kinds of decisions do not serve the broader community well. Shaundehl Runka, Gibsons Re: Canadians proud to be considered 'nasty' in defending sovereignty, David Eby says I find it precious that U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra and his masters think that Canadians are 'mean and nasty' to deal with. This lame attempt at gaslighting Canadians will not win Hoekstra any leverage. It is perfectly clear to most of us that U.S. President Donald Trump's stated plan is to wage economic warfare on Canada with the goal of weakening our economy and annexing us. America may grow rich from this piracy, for a while, but it will remain morally bankrupt. Glen Taylor, Coquitlam Canada gained worldwide respect due to our soldiers' courage during two world wars, and now Canucks' moxie is being tested as they won't be bullied or belittled. The tariff war seems intent on destroying our economy, while we're being called mean and nasty for boycotting U.S. booze and travel. Are we supposed to roll over and play dead? Canadians recognized for their low-key behaviour can over time become 'nasty' standing up to those who treat them unfairly, eh. Peter Middlemore Sr., Windsor Canada is a country that stands for human rights, yet we are standing by as Gaza starves. A man-made famine, caused by a deliberate aid blockade, has pushed almost all of the population to the brink of death. Our statements of concern are meaningless without action. As Canadians, we must demand more — immediate food airdrops, UN-protected aid corridors, and sanctions on those responsible. This is a test of our nation's character. We must not fail it. Laith Sarhan, Vancouver Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@
Global News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Global News
B.C. man left seeing pink in car crash denied compensation under no-fault insurance
A Nanaimo, B.C., man is speaking out about the province's no-fault insurance system after he says he was left with permanent eye damage, but isn't eligible for compensation through ICBC. Richard Broad was struck in a rear-end collision in November 2021. As a result of the collision, Broad suffered a posterior vitreous detachment in his left eye, something that has permanently changed the way he sees the world. 'Now I've got this permanent pink haze and a … pink dot,' he told Global News. Broad, who works as an artist, said the injury has resulted in significant income loss, and under B.C.'s 'enhanced care' insurance model, he is not entitled to sue the at-fault driver. In reviewing Broad's case, ICBC used a formula to determine Broad's 'permanent impairment rating,' which the public insurer calculated to be zero. Story continues below advertisement The formula calculates a percentage rating based on how well a person can see from a distance along with how many degrees of vision field they lost and whether or not there is double vision. ICBC then multiplies the resulting eye efficiency rating by $167,465 to determine due compensation. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy For Broad, the result was $0. 2:16 Widow upset with ICBC 'no fault' settlement for deadly crash Broad appealed the case to British Columbia's Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT), but the body ruled in ICBC's favour. 'I thought it was BS, to be honest with you. I was not happy about it,' Broad said. 'It's not what I expected because the whole time after they said they agreed with me, there would be some kind of resolution, that I'd be getting a benefit of some sort.' Story continues below advertisement In its decision, the CRT ruled that it believed Broad suffered permanent impairment as a result of the collision, but that the impairment did not entitle him to compensation. 'It is a very unique condition with very unique impacts to his ability to do things,' ICBC chief enhanced care officer Perry Straus told Global News. 'We think this is an opportunity … for us at ICBC to look at opportunities where we can make improvements.' Broad agrees that the policy needs to be changed. 'It is not fair to people who get injured who don't fall into their mathematical calculation,' he said, adding he is prepared to take the case all the way to the B.C. Supreme Court.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian, Canadian govt representatives hold discussions on trade and investment
Toronto: Catalysed by business associations, Indian and Canadian government representatives have held multiple discussions in recent days focused on trade and investment. Indian and Canadian officials along with other stakeholders in the India-Canada trade corridor at the roundtable in Ottawa last week. (Credit: High Commission of India, Ottawa) On Wednesday, the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber (ICBC) organised a business roundtable in Toronto, a closed-door dialogue on the 'evolving' India-Canada economic relationship. The special guests featured Sara Wilshaw, Canada's Chief Trade Commissioner and Assistant Deputy Minister at Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, and India's Acting Consul General in Toronto Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh. A week earlier, a similar roundtable in Ottawa was attended by Global Affairs Canada (GAC's) Director General for South Asia Marie-Louise Hannan and India's Acting High Commissioner Chinmoy Naik. Also present at both meetings was India's former High Commissioner to Ottawa Ajay Bisaria. Bisaria said, 'There is cautious optimism, a sense what was a headwind for businesses for the last two years has become a tailwind.' ICBC's CEO Nadira Hamid later told the Hindustan Times while this appeared to be a 'positive time' for trade ties, with the governments 'poised' to enter a 'new phase' in the relationship, they wanted to 'to ensure this momentum carries on'. She described these roundtables as 'round one' of the business advocacy events, with more such interfaces planned for later in 2025 and for spring next year. Following the roundtable in Ottawa, India's High Commission in Ottawa had posted that Naik 'emphasised deepening India-Canada commercial & investment relations.' After the Toronto event, India's consulate posted that Wilshaw and Singh 'provided key insights on strengthening this vital economic corridor — building on the momentum of the recent meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Canada.' That reference was to the bilateral meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis last month. Indian and Canadian officials along with other stakeholders in the India-Canada trade corridor at the roundtable in Toronto on Thursday. (Consulate General of India, Toronto) Hamid said, 'We need to continue taking steps to go in the right direction. Our suggestion is to concentrate on niche sectors which are important for both governments.' These include agri-tech, artificial intelligence, LNG, critical minerals and auto parts, among others. She also said another focus area was education partnerships, particularly innovation and technology ties between universities. Indian companies seeking to expand their footprint in Canada are also seeking e-visas for businesses, like those that India issues, Hamid pointed out. These meetings follow the visit by GAC's Assistant Deputy Minister (Indo-Pacific) Weldon Epp to India earlier this month during which he travelled to New Delhi and Mumbai. He met Canadian institutional investors, including pension funds, while in the commercial capital.
The Province
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Province
Why accident victims face an uphill battle challenging ICBC decisions under no-fault insurance system
Injured claimants who exhaust ICBC's process and lose at the civil resolution tribunal go to court without lawyer or legal expertise Reagan Kucher-Lang suffered a concussion when he was hit by a car in November 2022 while on his bike. He was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to order ICBC to pay him for past and future lost wages after he was denied benefits by ICBC and an independent review tribunal. Photo by DARREN STONE / TIMES COLONIST Almost three years ago, Reagan Kucher-Lang was hit by a car while riding his bike near the Victoria waterfront. He flew over the hood of the vehicle and hit the pavement. He was later diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Kucher-Lang sought compensation, first from ICBC and then from B.C.'s civil resolution tribunal, for the loss of past and future wages and compensation for a permanent injury. He was denied both times. So he is taking his case to B.C. Supreme Court. 'This whole thing has been a nightmare. It's taken over my life and it's still taking over my life,' said Kucher-Lang, a 35-year-old insurance broker. 'They declined my claim straight off the bat. … I still have a brain injury.' Kucher-Lang's case is one of several winding their way through the courts under the province's no-fault insurance system. The province adopted it — it calls it 'enhanced care' — in 2021, ending the right of injured crash victims to sue an at-fault driver. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since then, ICBC has handled 296,500 claims for accident benefits. As of late June, 568 claimants — or 0.19 per cent — had challenged ICBC's decisions to the civil resolution tribunal. Kucher-Lang is one of three people who have filed for a judicial review after their claims were denied by that tribunal. All three were filed within the past six weeks. A recent review by UBC's Allard School of Law raised questions about the fairness of the tribunal process. Researchers determined ICBC was the winner in 91 per cent of tribunal cases it heard between 2021 and the end of 2023, when there were 32 decisions. 'Strong indications of pervasive power imbalances exist' between the injured and ICBC, concluded Kaitlyn Cumming, an Allard PhD student whose study appeared in the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, a peer-reviewed journal. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ICBC's figures from 2021 to the end of June 2025 show the tribunal heard 122 cases. ICBC won 67 of those cases or 55 per cent, while claimants won nine cases or seven per cent. In 36 cases, the tribunal's decision was a mixed outcome and it dismissed 10 cases. An additional 114 cases were withdrawn. More than 300 cases filed with the tribunal are 'still active,' says ICBC. Cumming's research shows claimants who challenge ICBC decisions at the civil resolution tribunal usually do so without a lawyer because of prohibitive legal fees and they struggle with gathering or presenting simple evidence. The report noted recurring examples where adjudicators dismissed claims because claimants failed to present receipts for medical treatments or medications, a doctor's report, or financial documents such as pay stubs or human resources records. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ICBC reviews tribunal rulings to 'ensure claim outcomes are consistent and fair,' ICBC spokesman Greg Harper said in an email, and uses decisions to 'help us identify where policies can be improved because enhanced care is still evolving and (tribunal) insights are essential to shaping its future.' Cumming's report recommends that the government subsidize legal help for claimants to improve access to justice. For self-represented claimants who challenge civil resolution tribunal decisions in the courts, the odds of success are even smaller because it's a 'big step up in complexity,' with much stricter requirements than the tribunal's processes, Cumming said in an email. Claimants 'at a disadvantage' 'It is challenging for self-represented litigants to navigate the court system of appeal and judicial review,' agreed Sam Beswick, a professor at the UBC law school. 'It's a complex practice that presupposes legal training and skill.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ICBC confirmed there are three petitions before the B.C. Supreme Court for judicial reviews of tribunal decisions on accident-benefit claims and that all three claimants appear to have filed without a lawyer. ICBC lawyers have filed responses to the three petitions, opposing them. Hearing dates have yet to be set. 'The (tribunal) is designed to be easy to use for non-lawyers, but claimants have to go up against ICBC employees whose only job is to defend claims and, by default, they're at a disadvantage,' said Greg Phillips of the Trial Lawyers of Association of B.C., which opposes the no-fault system. The judicial review process in B.C. Supreme Court is 'highly technical' and is not like going before a regular appeals court, where a judge can allow the appeal and may substitute a new award, Phillips said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In Supreme Court, a judge has to determine whether the adjudicator made a serious error of law or showed a lack of procedural fairness, unreasonableness or patent unreasonableness, meaning the decision was 'so obviously wrong that the court has no choice but to intervene,' he said. Even if a claimant is successful at having a tribunal decision overturned by a judge, the case would likely be returned to the tribunal to be reheard with no guarantee of success the second time, said Phillips and Cumming. The outcomes of the first judicial reviews will be important because the precedents will stand for others that follow, said Phillips. Before deciding to take his case to the tribunal and then B.C. Supreme Court, Kucher-Lang said he exhausted the appeal process within ICBC, which he described as 'broken.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They just redirected me to another ICBC manager,' he said. Kucher-Lang's case was complicated by the fact he worked for months while concussed because he wasn't properly diagnosed until months after his November 2022 accident. He said he was injured again five months later, in April 2023, when three drunken university students pushed him off a city bus and assaulted him. He was treated for several injuries in an emergency department and filed a police report, but no one was charged. Two months later he returned to hospital with stomach pain and was referred to an internist who diagnosed him with 'extensive post-concussion symptoms' for the first time in August 2023. Kucher-Lang said the doctor said it was 'ridiculous' that he had worked after the crash and sent him to a new family doctor, who confirmed the diagnosis and referred him to a neurologist who also confirmed the diagnosis. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His continuing symptoms, including headaches, brain fog and fatigue, prevented him from working after he was let go during a restructuring six months after the crash. 'It's definitely David versus Goliath' ICBC did not accept that his injury was caused by the crash, so he appealed to the tribunal. Kucher-Lang submitted doctor's reports and proof of his provincial and federal disability designations for tax purposes and disability payments. ICBC maintained his post-concussion syndrome was likely the result of the assault on the bus and that he hadn't proved he was entitled to income replacement, permanent injury compensation or health benefits beyond the eight physiotherapy sessions in 2023 that it had already funded. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kucher-Lang did get a partial victory. The tribunal adjudicator found his post-concussion syndrome was caused by the car crash, and ordered ICBC to reimburse Kucher-Lang for medication expenses when he provided proper receipts. But the adjudicator denied Kucher-Lang's claim for compensation for lost wages and for permanent injury because he said a doctor believed he would improve with medication and treatment, and noted he was on a waiting list for a concussion rehab clinic. For his Supreme Court appeal application, Kucher-Lang tracked down ICBC precedents online and used a legal artificial intelligence app that suggested his case was winnable. He filed his petition for review in May and is now waiting for the court hearing. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kucher-Lang, who has now returned to work part-time as a broker, is representing himself after receiving a $20,000 quote from a lawyer. The lawyer did offer him some free help. ICBC defends the no-fault system, noting that injured people are eligible for medical treatment and wage replacement whether at fault or not, medical treatments such as physiotherapy are available for three months without a doctor's referral, and income replacement benefits are based on 90 per cent of take-home pay rather than a set weekly limit. But Cumming concludes in her paper there needs to be a 'culture change packaged as part of the reforms' for no-fault to be successful. To improve access to justice, more research is needed to determine why ICBC is disproportionately successful in civil resolution tribunal decisions, Cumming wrote in her report. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The fact there have been only three requests for judicial reviews over four years might indicate that without a lawyer, many claimants may not even recognize that tribunal adjudicators, or ICBC case managers before them, had made a judicially reviewable error, she said in an email. Also unknown, says Cumming in her report, is how the system can improve access to justice for claimants who don't have lawyers and are suffering from more complex medical issues such as lingering concussions or chronic pain, as the medical field continues to learn more about those conditions. She recommends that government fund legal aid for civil cases or subsidize legal services to 'help equalize and redistribute legal capital' between parties. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cumming also recommends that lawyers provide unbundled legal services for specific tasks to help claimants prepare a submission to the civil resolution tribunal or to provide guidance. Phillips said any ICBC case is time consuming and costly to take on, and any legal help would likely have to come from articling or law students and not experienced lawyers. Garry Begg, B.C.'s solicitor general, who oversees ICBC, didn't respond to emailed questions about the recommendations but a ministry spokeswoman said in an email that it continues to monitor and evaluate no-fault and the civil resolution tribunal. After ICBC filed a response to his petition, Kucher-Lang received a letter from a downtown Vancouver law firm representing ICBC. It recommended he hire a lawyer for the judicial review. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's the most ludicrous thing' because his injury is both the reason he needs a lawyer and the reason he can't afford one, he said. 'It's definitely David versus Goliath.' And he feels like he had to become 'basically a makeshift lawyer,' spending 'months and months and months' researching the law before the application, for which he had to learn how to use the courthouse computers in order to proceed. It has cost him time and money to make four copies of a 430-page evidence booklet, serve ICBC and the civil resolution tribunal the petition, and prepare to go before a judge — all while he suffers the effects of a head injury. But he remains determined to have his case heard in court. 'I believe ICBC is manipulating and abusing their power. They're taking away the benefits of seriously injured people. It's not enhanced care.' slazaruk@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Local News Soccer News Sports Betting
