TLDR: No fault is great if ICBC would just do what they said they would.

In November 2023, I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left me with multiple injuries, including a torn tendon in my knee that required surgery, a severely broken wrist, broken elbow and hip injuries, nerve damage, and significant scarring on both legs and my hand, and neck pain and headaches.

Almost three years later, dealing with ICBC has honestly been one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.

The thing that bothers me most is that these injuries weren't some new complaints I suddenly started bringing up years later. They were documented from the very beginning. ICBC has had access to medical records detailing what happened to me, the surgeries I needed, and the injuries I sustained.

Yet somehow I've spent the last three years repeatedly trying to convince them to acknowledge injuries that have been in my medical records since the accident.

And throughout the process, I've dealt with what I can only describe as snide, dismissive comments from ICBC representatives and a constant feeling that my injuries were being minimized.

It's exhausting having to repeatedly explain injuries that are already documented, especially when the people handling your claim seem more interested in downplaying them than actually helping you recover.

The first few months were a complete mess.

When I was first injured, almost none of my medical benefits were properly explained to me. I had no idea what I was entitled to, what treatments were covered, or what I was supposed to be doing to make sure I received the support I needed.

My first adjuster would regularly stop responding to me for weeks, sometimes months. I'd send emails, follow up, and hear absolutely nothing until I eventually had to call ICBC and get a manager involved just to get someone to respond.

Meanwhile, I was recovering from a serious motorcycle accident and trying to figure out how I was supposed to afford rent.

I'd switched jobs shortly before the accident, and ICBC calculated my income replacement at an amount significantly below what I had actually been earning.

I ended up going back to work within 12 weeks, even though my doctors had specifically told me I shouldn't.

I was still in pain, still recovering, and working a physically demanding job. But the income replacement I was receiving wasn't enough to cover my rent, so I felt like I had no choice.

My wrist was still weak from the motorcycle accident, and while working I ended up severing a tendon in my finger because I couldn't properly support the glassware I was carrying.

That required another surgery and left me with additional permanent problems. It became a separate WorkSafeBC claim.

I can't help wondering whether that injury could have been avoided if my income replacement had reflected my actual earnings and I'd been able to follow my doctors' advice.

Then came the permanent impairment benefits, which have been an entirely different shit show.

For anyone unfamiliar with the system, ICBC's Enhanced Care provides compensation for certain permanent injuries based on percentages set out in provincial regulations.

You'd think that when someone has documented injuries, surgeries, and permanent physical limitations, ICBC would at least review whether those injuries qualify.

Apparently not.

In my experience, ICBC basically acted like none of my injuries qualified for permanent impairment compensation unless I specifically researched the regulations and pushed them to assess each one.

I had to figure out what permanent impairment benefits even were, read through the regulations myself, identify which injuries might qualify, and repeatedly ask ICBC to send them for assessment.

Keep in mind, all of these injuries were already documented in my medical records.

I wasn't asking them to take my word for anything. I was asking them to assess injuries that doctors had already examined, diagnosed, and treated.

Even then, I had to attend around five different doctors' appointments, essentially having the same injuries examined and documented over and over again before ICBC would accept the findings.

And what makes it worse is how often I was told that something wasn't covered or had already been compensated, only for it to turn out that it actually qualified once I kept pushing.

My wrist injury and reduced hip range of motion are two examples.

I was initially given information that made me believe those injuries weren't eligible or had already been accounted for. After repeatedly asking for them to be formally assessed, they ended up qualifying for permanent impairment payments.

So what would have happened if I'd just believed what I was originally told?

Would I have received any compensation for those injuries?

At this point, I've received $36,496.60 for a combined 20% permanent impairment rating. That includes compensation for my wrist/hand injury, scarring, reduced hip range of motion, and reduced elbow range of motion. About 16% of that was just because of scarring, even though my headaches, my broken bones that cause movement issues, and the hole in my knee that included two severed tendons and nerve damage are all much bigger issues and are either completely ignored as they aren't explicitly stated in the compensation document, or barely accounted for.

I'm not pretending that's an insignificant amount of money, and I'm not saying ICBC hasn't paid me anything.

But why did I have to spend years fighting to get injuries assessed that ultimately qualified under their own regulations?

And why did I have to deal with dismissive comments and have my injuries minimized along the way?

The difference between ICBC and WorkSafeBC has been pretty eye-opening.

WorkSafeBC definitely has its own problems. I'm dealing with a separate claim through them, so I'm not pretending they're perfect either.

But one thing I noticed is that WorkSafeBC actually arranged and paid for a medical professional to assess my permanent injuries.

Someone examined my injury and evaluated the resulting permanent impairment.

With ICBC, my experience has been completely different.

It feels like they just pretend you don't have any permanent injuries until you know enough about the regulations to force them to acknowledge them.

Instead of arranging a comprehensive assessment, I've had to identify the injuries myself, request that they be assessed, chase down medical records, attend repeated appointments, and constantly follow up to make sure anything is actually happening.

I genuinely don't understand why the responsibility for identifying and pursuing permanent impairment compensation seems to fall almost entirely on the injured person.

Especially when most people probably don't even know these benefits exist.

And after almost three years, I'm STILL trying to get two injuries assessed.

ICBC previously confirmed in writing that my knee tear and elbow fracture were pending further medical information.

My previous recovery specialist told me he would obtain updated records and resubmit both injuries to the benefit analysts.

I waited for an update and never received confirmation that he'd actually done it.

When I followed up recently, he told me he was no longer handling my claim and passed me along to another specialist.

Instead of following up with the previous adjuster to establish whether the reviews had already been submitted, the new specialist told me to go back to my doctor and get another medical report for ICBC to consider.

Seriously?

I've already spent years going to appointments, getting medical records, seeing specialists, and having the same injuries documented repeatedly.

And now I'm being asked to go back to the doctor again without anyone even confirming whether the previous specialist followed through on what he said he would do.

To this day, I still don't know whether those reviews were ever submitted.

I've specifically asked the new specialist to confirm whether the previous reviews were completed and to respond to the questions in my earlier correspondence.

I'm still waiting for those answers.

I've also had numbness down a large portion of my left shin since the original accident and surgery.

ICBC previously told me there wasn't enough medical evidence to consider nerve damage, despite the fact that I'd been reporting the sensory loss since the accident.

I recently went to VGH for nerve testing, where specialists documented significantly reduced sensation and concluded that it was most consistent with injury to small nerve branches from the original trauma or surgery.

So now I'm back to trying to get ICBC to consider that evidence too. Yet they probably won't as it's not in their guidelines.

I also have ongoing headaches and postconcussion symptoms that I've been seeing a neurologist for. I literally have to take pain killers several times a month and take time off work because of them, and have been doing that for 3 years. ICBC has already told me chronic migraines aren't compensable under the permanent impairment regulation, but I'm still trying to establish whether the other neurological issues have actually been assessed.

At this point, I genuinely feel like I've spent almost three years doing the job of my own claims adjuster.

I've had to research legislation, track down medical records, chase people for responses, request assessments that weren't being initiated, and repeatedly question decisions that sometimes turned out to be wrong.

And the entire time, I've felt like ICBC has been minimizing the severity of my injuries and treating me like I'm being unreasonable for expecting them to do their job.

I'm not expecting special treatment. I'm not expecting compensation for injuries that don't qualify.

I just expect an insurance company responsible for administering my medical and permanent impairment benefits to actually review the injuries I've sustained and give me clear, accurate information.

What bothers me most isn't even the money anymore.

It's that I have absolutely no confidence my injuries would have been properly assessed if I hadn't spent so much time advocating for myself.

And I can't help thinking about people who are older, don't speak English fluently, aren't comfortable researching legislation, or simply don't have the time or energy to spend years arguing with an insurance company.

How many people are told something isn't covered and just accept it?

How many people don't even know permanent impairment benefits exist?

How many people go back to work before they're medically ready because their income replacement isn't enough to survive on?

And how many people are living with permanent injuries that ICBC has never even considered compensating because nobody told them they could ask?

I understand ICBC has to follow the regulations and that not every injury qualifies for compensation. But I don't understand why it's apparently my responsibility to identify every permanent injury, figure out which section of the regulations applies, convince ICBC to assess it, and then repeatedly follow up to make sure the assessment actually happens.

Isn't the whole point of Enhanced Care supposed to be helping injured people recover?

Because from my experience, it feels like the system is designed around how much time and effort an injured person is willing or able to spend fighting for the benefits they're already entitled to.

I'd genuinely like to hear whether anyone else has experienced something similar, particularly with permanent impairment benefits, incorrect income replacement calculations, adjusters not responding, or being told injuries weren't covered only to have them approved later.

Has anyone had success escalating beyond their recovery specialist or getting ICBC to conduct a comprehensive review of their injuries?

I'm exhausted by this process. At this point, I just want some accountability and clear answers.

Edit: While the records might have been updated to reflect the upgrade, The law enacting the change doesn't actually come into force until tomorrow.

Hey all,

Not sure if anyone else noticed this, but I checked my ICBC account today and my licence class changed from 7 to 5.

I requested an electronic driver report yesterday and it said Class 700, but today’s report says Class 500. I’m over 25 and have had my N for more than a year now.

Looks like ICBC might have already started the automatic upgrades ahead of October 19.

Has anyone else seen this on their account?

Does anyone know if someone with the new restricted class 5 can be the supervising driver for someone with their L driving or do you have to have the full class 5?

So I had a class seven and it’s been upgraded to the class five with restrictions now with the new rule and all, I’m wondering, do I have to wait the entire 12 months or can I pursue my class one now? Does anybody have an answer to that question thank you.

How serious is this? How much will I need to pay? Will Icbc accept this kind of claim?

I share the car I own with my mother. For the term of this year's policy, I listed myself as the principal operator, as I was using the car to commute to work. Now I no longer commute by car, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use only. My renewal is coming up, and I understand I have the option of not declaring a principal operator. My mom uses the car less than six days per month to drive to work, and I use it a few times per month to do groceries, visit family, etc.

In order to have no principal operator, must the vehicle usage be exactly 50/50, or is there a range? I could not find anything in ICBC's tariff to answer this, apart from "who will operate the vehicle specified in the certificate for more time than any other listed driver during the term of the certificate."

Failed my driving test for the third time. I took the test at the Lougheed Hwy location. The first time I failed was for not leaving a wide enough gap when making a left turn. The second time was for " skill, " and the third time was for taking too much time when making a turn (allowed extra time because it was raining). Nothing about Demerit points, btw.

Seriously don't understand why I keep failing. The instructors do not tell me. They write simple things like skill issue and fail me. It seems fishy. It seems like there is some sort of bias because I am a teenager, or maybe they have an invisible quota of how many people they can pass per year.

The reasoning and results are not consistent, and I am always confused as to why I fail. And for the second failure, I had to complain to a supervisor that the examiner did not elaborate on the reasoning as to why I failed, to which the supervisor said was because I used too much gas when accelerating. All these small things should lead to points off, not total failure.

Is there something that I'm missing? Has anyone had similar experiences? Should I retake my test somewhere else?

hi everyone, looking for advice. I was driving straight down Lougheed Hwy and as I'm passing an intersection a guy starts turning right onto Lougheed very fast as he was not looking, and I instinctively swerved to avoid being hit. Unfortunately I hit another car on the left lane due to my swerving. No one was hurt, just dent/scratches on both our cars. I have a video from the person who was driving behind me, he said he also clearly saw the other guy was not looking. The other guy then speeds off. The footage shows how he would have hit me if I had not swerved.

I filed a police report with Burnaby RCMP and they said all they will do is give him a warning as he did not actually hit me. But they don't even want to look at the video because it won't prove who was driving the other car. I have reported this to ICBC as well and am waiting to hear back.

Wondering if anyone's been in a similar situation, and think I might be 100% at fault for the other car? I feel like I should not have swerved but it was instinctual, I didn't have much time to react.

Thanks everyone.

Car: 2018 Mazda 6 GT Turbo, 119k kms

Due to heavy winds in Surrey last week, a tree fell on my Car. Neighbours have been cutting the roots of this tree - although not entirely their fault cause roots were not that deep and this tree was destined to fall (unfortunately, it fell on my car).

Do you think the damage to the roof, windshield, and body can be repaired or will ICBC write this car off? I know if they write this off, they are going to lowball, and a similar car with similar kms after dealer fees etc is around $22-24k. I have already opened an ICBC claim, and they will pay back for the tree removal. Will take the car to an autobody shop this week.

I really love this car, and I am not in a position to spend more money on purchasing a new vehicle. What are my options?

Also, any recommendations for a good autobody repair shop in lower mainland? Someone who can provide me a loaner car as well cause I don't have coverage for a rental vehicle.

Hello, I’ve had my N for over 2 years now and I have a clean record but I got my first ever ticket for going 25kmh over the limit on a highway, I’m looking for advice on what to do and how this will affect me getting my class 5

Update: spoke with icbc and they said it’s fine and I should automatically be upgraded since I meet all the requirements, it wasn’t an excessive speeding ticket and I have a clean record

Taking my vehicle back in to the repair shop, let’s just say they missed ALOT of things. Was doing a once over and noticed this paint run off, should I accept this or ask them to fix it.

I visited my shop for the walkthrough pointing out what needs to be fixed cosmetically; when I asked the guy working there “what about the mechanical function of the car? Will you guys take a look at that too?”

He went on to say something along the lines of “you have to take it to the ICBC warehouse after we’re done with it here.” his English wasn’t very good and hard for me to understand what he was saying.

I only brought it up cause when I kneeled down to check the undercarriage. I noticed there was a leak by the U-Joint area where the driveshaft connects to the engine or tranny.

There was also “Tranny pin pulled” written on the window; when I brought this up to the repair guy he said that wasn’t us who wrote it; it was ICBC.

Anyone been thru something like this before?

This is a Theft claim that happened 2 months ago; finally reached this stage just this past week.

If I have my N, and have had it for over a decade with no tickets, shouldn’t I have my letter about the license change by now? What do I do if I don’t get it? The address on my license is correct.

I’m buying another car. I am going to gift my current car to my son in Vancouver then take off the plates and take them to Kamloops where I purchased a new car and have the broker there register and insure my new car with my old plates. Is this legal or the correct way to o do this? My son will have my old car plated and insured in his name and u assume my plates will also be assigned to that car until I get to Kamloops and have them registered. Does this work?

Every time I try to log in to submit expenses for my claim, I get hit with this. Tried on my phone and two different computers. Cleared my cache. Tried different browsers.

ICBC recommended I reach out to my adjuster. But they never reply to my calls or emails.

We infrequently haul three horses in an aluminum trailer (about 8,000 lb loaded, electric brakes, breakaway device, licensed and insured). Tongue weight estimated around 1,100-1,200 lb.

It's super unclear what's legally required beyond having electronic trailer brakes (etc), being under the GWVR (truck and trailer independently) and the GCWR (together). We have zero may of measuring axle weights. No highway weigh scales anywhere near us.

Questions for anyone who knows:

1. If you're within the tow rating and GVWR but slightly over rear GAWR, is that a legal / insurance issue? If so how are we supposed to measure this? Same with hitch receiver / tongue weight?
2. If there's a crash and overweight is a factor, how does ICBC treat it? Does it affect coverage or fault, or both?
3. Has anyone dealt with this on a rental truck? Do rental agreements usually add their own towing limits?
4. Is there anywhere in the Cranbrook area with a public scale that regular drivers can use?

I've read ICBC's "Towing a Recreational Trailer" guide, and the CSVE towing guide, but they don't help out here. it's really unclear.

thanks

Hi everyone,
I’m a Canadian citizen planning to get a B.C. driver’s licence. I currently have a valid mainland Chinese driver’s licence and about 10 years of driving experience. I also have an expired U.S. driver’s licence that was originally issued in 2016.
From what I understand, because China is not a reciprocal-exchange country, I would still need to pass the ICBC knowledge test and Class 5 road test. If I can prove at least 2 years of full driving experience, I should be able to skip the L/N graduated licensing process.
I’m trying to clarify a few practical details from people who have actually gone through this:
Did ICBC take your foreign licence when you applied, after the knowledge test, or only after you passed the road test?
If your foreign licence was from China, did ICBC keep/destroy it permanently?
What documents did ICBC accept to prove your previous driving experience? Would an official stamped driving-history letter be enough?
Would an expired U.S. licence from 2016 help establish earlier driving history, or did ICBC require an official DMV driving abstract?
If I prove 2+ years of experience, is there really no waiting period between passing the knowledge test and taking the Class 5 road test?
For Chinese-language documents, did you use an ICBC-approved translator, and were you able to arrange the translation remotely before coming to B.C.?
I’m mainly trying to make sure I bring the right documents and don’t accidentally surrender my Chinese licence earlier than necessary.
Thanks in advance to anyone who has been through a similar situation.

Hello! I’ve had my N for over 3 years now, and got a paper from ICBC a while back saying I’m eligible for the automatic one time graduation from N to class 5.

Unfortunately I got my first ever speeding ticket today (Motor Vehicle Act 146(3)).

I just want to know how cooked I am; will I get a driving prohibition? This is my first ever offence.

I haven’t paid the ticket yet.

I’m very stressed it was a stupid mistake

I just passed my knowledge test online and I need to go pick it up from the DL office but I don't have a secondary piece of ID I only got my primary what should I do?

Will I be able to Doordash if I am automatically converted to Class 5? Restriction 54: No electronic devices, including hands free is giving me confusion.

Hi all, looking for advice. I have about 15 years of driving with no prior accidents.

I was in a parallel parking spot, adjusting the car's position before pulling out. I hadn't pulled out yet (only the front-left of my car was out as I was still adjusting). The other car, in the main lane, hit my front-left fender its front-right bumper. My fender is damaged and the front bumper came off entirely, so it will likely need replacing. The other driver's car has a dent in the front bumper but no other damage. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

At the scene, the other driver told me she was at fault because she was distracted by her screen. There was plenty of room in the lanes, and she could have stopped or driven around as I still wasn't pulled out into the lane. A witness standing nearby saw the accident and I believe heard her say it.

When I reported the accident, ICBC told me I'm liable because I was leaving a parked position and the other car had right of way. I disagree, and I understand I have 90 days to dispute.

A few questions:

1. Should I ask the witness and the other driver to give ICBC a statement, or should I leave that to the adjuster?
2. Has anyone successfully disputed a fault decision like this? What made the difference?
3. Is a case like this worth disputing?

Thanks in advance!

I got pulled over by a cop in downtown for “running” a yellow light at an intersection. I was too close to the stop line before the color changed so there wouldn’t have been a safe way for me to stop. The cop was visibly annoyed with me from the start and started picking on unrelated things, and then proceeded to write me 3 separate tickets. Before I go on, yes I did overseat passengers— I had 2 friends and I was aware of the 1 passenger rule. I also wasn’t aware that you weren’t allowed to use your car play for navigation, as on my license it just states that I am not allowed to go on an electronic device, which I assumed would mean your phone (this I legitimately had no clue about, and since I got my license in a different province without these restrictions, I didn’t do further research on it other than what the worker that handed me my license told me— which was that I simply can’t go on my devices). So overall he wrote me a ticket for the yellow light, over seating (going against the license restrictions), devices (again going against the license restrictions). I am going to dispute the yellow light ticket but if that doesn’t work out, I’m wondering how these total of 8 points is going to affect my ability to get my fiveN and also my insurance.

Hi, i have class 7 N license and was given the ticket by an officer for changing the solid white line and he mentioned no points will be deducted but now after some months I get a letter from icbc mentioning that I am on probation and there is another letter mentioning the offense and 2 points.

Why is icbc deducting 2 points when the officer or the court (i disputed it) didn’t mention about it???

Hi,

Moving back to bc this month (after previously living there for 2 years), will be exchanging my UK license. I remember I got a temporary paper license last time until my card arrived.

My question is, can I get insurance on a car with just this paper? Or do I need to have the official license card?

Another question- can you rent a car with the temporary license? I will have other forms of ID with me (passport) not sure if a company like Avis would accept that?

Thanks!!

I’m not the registered owner but I am listed as the primary driver on the coverage. Would I be able to renew the policy online with my own ICBC profile? Or can renewing online only be done via the account of the registered owner?

This is my first time renewing online and I haven’t any registered vehicles in my account just yet.

TIA!