Should You Make an ICBC Dial-A-Claim After a Car Accident?
Steps to take with ICBC after a car accident in BC
Car accidents can be violent, painful, frightening, and incredibly damaging to one’s life. Many people don’t remember a lot of the details of a car crash; often people are confused, nervous, and/or in shock immediately after the crash and well into the events following a car accident.
Steps to take after a car accident in BC
1. If you have the slightest discomfort, visit your doctor and/or the hospital.
If you go to the hospital, follow up with a visit to your family doctor so you family doctor is aware of your car accident and injuries. It’s critical you be very detailed about all your pain areas and symptoms. Consider headaches, nausea, memory loss, mood swings, any movements that cause discomfort, etc. In fact, if you can, make some notes before seeing your doctor so you can efficiently and thoroughly inform your doctor about all your injuries.
2. Should you do a dial-a-claim to ICBC?
The law in BC is that you must at some point make a statement to ICBC. Obviously your car accident must be reported to ICBC. Why? Because ICBC is the liability and property auto insurer in British Columbia.
That said, you don’t have to be the person who actually does the ICBC dial-a-claim and/or statement to ICBC. Did you know your personal injury lawyer can make the ICBC dial-a-claim for you? Yes, that’s right; we do it all the time for clients.
3. Who needs to do an ICBC dial-a-claim?
Again, you don’t need to actually make the ICBC dial-a-claim. However, all persons in a motor vehicle collision in BC should at some point fairly soon after the collision have it reported to ICBC. This includes drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, truck drivers, motorcycle drivers and passengers … anyone in the collision.
4. Follow your doctor’s advice about treatment
Sometimes your doctor will prescribe treatment such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, or some other prescription to help you recover. It’s important that you do what your doctor prescribes. If you don’t like your doctor’s suggestion, discuss it with him or her in an effort to arrive at alternative treatment options.
5. Talk to a personal injury lawyer
I can’t speak for other lawyers, but if you talk to us it’s not an obligation to hire us. It also doesn’t cost you any money because we offer a free initial consultation.
It’s important that you get informed about your legal rights and the process as well the medical process after a car accident in BC. Don’t do nothing. Talk to your doctor and a personal injury lawyer.
