Lawyer Experience

[Ken7]

ICBC has a search engine on their website that is very useful. You can google previous precedents and cases similar to yours and with a little research, you can figure out what your accident is actually worth and then, it makes the decision to hire a lawyer much more definitive, but the decision to "lawyer up" should be based on many factors and not a decision made in a hurry.

Checked their site..unable to find what you are speaking of.

[Zakynthou]

Reply re Diary................SO VERY CORRECT!!

Keep a diary about everything relating to your accident. Pain, pills, emotions etc.
Keep receipts for everything you had to buy to assist you get better because of the accident. Swim pass, swim suit ( they just die so quickly in Chlorinated water and need replacing if you are using the pool regularly. Best to get a chlorine resistant one), gym pass, special creams or potions. Get a prescription from your doctor re using a physio, Bills for physio and any other professional you use.
Keep every single bit of paper and file it in a folder so that you can put your hand on it.
Ask ICBC to pay for any treatments to help you get better - up front. Why should you be out of pocket?

Be very organized, be very , very organized and keep asking ICBC what they will pay for when you need it.

DO NOT be ready to settle with them for anything except the vehicle too quickly. You can settle for the separate from the injury. Make sure that it is ONLY the vehicle you are settling for BEFORE you sign anything.

Good luck

[okanagan_sports]

Checked their site..unable to find what you are speaking of.

Hey Ken:

Trust me on this, that your best "friend" (after an accident) is not a lawyer, but the search engine on the ICBC website.

Go to http://www.icbc.com, then look in the upper, right hand corner of ICBC's home page and you'll find a powerful and intuitive search engine.

Just type in the exact circumstances of your accident, such as: "how much is a rear-end collision while being stopped at yellow light intersection worth ?" And then, you should see precedents of settlements of similar B.C. court cases with those same conditions.

Most ICBC court settlements are based on what previous judges have ruled on similar cases. This is to prevent lawyers from screwing the government-owned ICBC and also, to keep insurance claim costs down ? I've heard that ICBC even has a formula that they secretly teach to their adjusters, i.e. they take three similar court awards, and then average the three to get to the final award that you will get ?

Of course, it has to be an open and shut case. If you have had previous or existing muscular-skeletal injuries, then it gets trickier and more complicated ?

This type of research takes time, but after a serious car accident, there will be all the time in the world to sift through pages and pages of claims, since being crippled is perhaps, the ultimate humiliation.

By the way, lawyers are usually never disabled and/or have suffered financial deprivation in their entire lives, so they have no idea what the physically challenged man or woman is going through. Society, in general, discriminates against the disabled, (including lawyers) but is exercerbated by the overall greediness and materialistic agenda of Kelownians, (but not limited to Kelowna).

- OK Sports

[southernfrau]

Had friend in an accident in Nevada. Their RV blew a tire and it was destroyed. ICBC wouldn't pay them out fully on the RV as it has some weird type coverage unlike a car or truck. They took a bath on it. But she didn't settle with ICBC on her injuries as they said they have 2 years to recover first then they can settle. Her injuries still weren't healed but she did the same thing, went on the internet and looked at her injuries compared to others and what they got. No lawyer and she got a good settlement. Take your time they have 2 years to settle, but they like to rush it. Daughter has been in a few accidents none her fault. They use lawyers out of Kamloops and Penticton on a rotational basis for ICBC claims. They worked in favour of ICBC and my daughter but against the driver who did the damage.