The ICBC, short for Insurance Corporation of British Colombia, is a crown-owned public corporation. The corporation has been active since 1973 providing universal car insurance to all drivers in British Colombia. It is a law that any vehicle owner needs to purchase an ‘autoplan’ coverage that will help protect the driver against any hit-and-run accidents, third party claims, under-insured and uninsured motorists as well as other accident claims. If you consult an ICBC lawyer then you will get all the legal details related to ICBC claims and cases.
It is your legal role to ensure you file a report with the ICBC within 24 hours about any car accident that you may have been involved. Once you have done this, a representative is assigned to your case who will need access to your basic driver information and also the details about the accident and also whether you or any other part was injured in the accident.
From this point, your claim will be referred to an adjuster who reviews your claim and then files a statement offer. This is the most crucial point. As you may either have the claim you filed for or end up having your claim denied depending on how you deal with the adjuster assigned to your case. Here are some tips you can adapt before you face an ICBC adjuster.
- Know your claims adjuster put ICBC’s own best interests first, not yours
No matter how friendly or involved they may look towards handling your case, the adjuster’s priority comes to the corporation. The adjuster’s goal is to try as much as possible to save the company as much money as possible by limiting your claim and in some cases, even denying it. There two ways insurance companies always use to make money; charging premiums and avoiding to pay out claims.
- Beware that your claims adjuster may attempt to pin the fault on you
The first step is you reporting your claim with ICBC. After you have done this, the rest of the work lies with the ICBC adjuster who will then try to determine whether the accident was as a result of your actions or not. The adjuster could render your claim void if he or she can determine that you were even remotely involved in the accident. You may even end up having your future premiums increased. You need to be aware of the fact that ICBC is not only your insurance company but the other driver’s as well. The adjuster is given up to 30 days to determine your claim. You also have the right to appeal your claim with the adjuster’s manager for a claim review in case your claim is denied.
- Understand that any information can be used against you
You need to be aware that any information you report and allow ICBC adjusters to have access to can and may be used against you and your case. The adjuster will want to have access to your previous medical reports, police reports, damage estimates from the repair shops, and even witness statements. You need to ensure you acquaint yourself with the Freedom of Information Act that will allow you have access to any information that will be used in determining your case. You have the right to request for the information obtained by the adjuster at any time.
- Review any ICBC settlement offers carefully
You need to be careful and resist the urge to instantly accept any accident claim settlement offered by the ICBC adjuster. It is best for you to have an ICBC lawyer present who can negotiate the terms of the settlement with the company on your behalf. Rushing in for the quick money can end up harming you in the long run, so you need to ensure you play safe and go through all the legal channels before you accept the claim settlement. There is no going back after you have accepted the claims offer.you cannot even legally appeal your case.