We've met with thousands of new clients over the years, and for many new clients, coming to us was their first experience talking to a lawyer. After all, hiring a lawyer isn't a something you do regularly. What can you expect when meeting with one of our BC personal injury lawyers during a free consultation? There's nothing for you to prepare Don't worry about having to prepare anything or bringing in a large file. Any paperwork you … [Read more...]
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Do I Pay Tax on a BC Personal Injury and ICBC Claim Settlement?
We're asked the question "do I pay income tax on BC personal injury and ICBC claim settlements?" somewhat often (not as often as we would expect). The answer is NO. The reason being is that your BC personal injury and ICBC claim settlement pertaining to your wage loss is reduced by the amount of tax you would normally pay. What does this mean? It means that when assessing your wage loss, the amount of tax you would have paid on the wage … [Read more...]
How is Pain and Suffering Calculated in a BC Personal Injury Claim?
If you're hurt as a result of another person's negligence in British Columbia, you're entitled to compensation for those injuries. One of the main head of damages in order to calculate damages is called pain and suffering. What is compensation for pain and suffering? Compensation for pain and suffering is exactly as it suggests ... compensation for your pain and suffering. The more difficult element of calculating compensation for pain and … [Read more...]
About Rear End Style Car Accidents in BC
We’ve all heard of rear enders and probably a lot of us have been involved in one, one way or another. A rear ender occurs when a vehicle is struck from behind, or from the rear, by another motor vehicle. A rear ender is the most common type of vehicle accident that occurs in BC. How does a rear ender happen? It could be because the vehicle was following too closely behind, not allowing enough room should the car in front suddenly slow down … [Read more...]
Can I Make an ICBC Injury Claim Without a Driver’s Licence?
What happens if you forget to renew your BC driver's licence and you get hurt in a car accident in BC? Can you make an ICBC injury claim? Yes you can. Even if you're the driver? Yes, as long as the driver is NOT 100 percent at fault. Let's deal with a passenger first. Obviously, a passenger involved in a car accident has an injury claim if hurt from being a passenger in a car involved in a crash. What about a driver without a BC … [Read more...]
ICBC Settlement Offer: Do I Have to Accept It?
ICBC routinely makes settlement offers to injured car accident victims in BC. Sometimes those offers are made within weeks or a couple of months after a car accident. ICBC is a large corporation and it's natural to believe that your only option is to accept the settlement offer they make to you. In fact, many people believe that an ICBC settlement offer is non-negotiable. The answer to the question "do I have to accept ICBC's settlement … [Read more...]
Who Does a Passenger in a BC Car Accident Sue?
BC has a tort system for personal injury claims, including car accident injury claims. A tort system is a legal way of saying that it's an adversarial system. In other words, you sue the wrong-doers who caused your injuries. Sometimes there may be more than one person at fault for causing injuries. An example of a car accident scenario where there may be more than one person at fault is a passenger who is hurt in a car accident that is … [Read more...]
Highway 1 Car Accidents in BC – Common Types
Given the higher volume of traffic on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and the extensive construction, it's no surprise that there are many car accidents on Highway 1. A common type of car accident on Highway 1 are rear-end style car accidents ... almost always occurring where traffic slows down either due to rush hour (or should I say rush hours) and/or construction delays. Highway 1 car accidents can be severe Frequently the rear-end style … [Read more...]
ICBC Requires Original Receipts
Part of most ICBC injury claims include the cost for treatment such as chiropractic treatment, physiotherapy, and massage therapy to name a few treatment modalities. Yes, ICBC usually pays for part of the treatment up-front, but not all of it (chiropractic care being an exception where you can opt in to a program where ICBC will pay the full cost for a predetermined duration/number of visits). The portion you pay up-front is called a user … [Read more...]
Need a BC Personal Injury Lawyer?
Need a BC Personal Injury Lawyer? Serving Abbotsford, Surrey, & Greater Vancouver Each year in Canada there are roughly 160,000 traffic accidents. Of these, 2,900 are fatalities. According to 2006 statistics kept by the Insurance Company of British Columbia (ICBC), there were over 50,000 vehicle collisions for that year in BC alone resulting in over 27,000 injuries and 413 deaths. That’s a staggering amount of road collisions. … [Read more...]