Difference between revisions of "Insurance Benefits for Accident Victims"

Everyone who owns a motor vehicle in BC must have [http://www.icbc.com/autoplan/basic/Pages/Default.aspx basic vehicle insurance], called '''Autoplan''', from ICBC. You can buy more than Autoplan’s basic insurance—from ICBC or a private insurance company. Autoplan agents can give you the options.

If you injure someone or damage their vehicle in an accident, your third-party legal liability insurance will pay their claim up to the limit of your insurance. The minimum third-party legal liability insurance you must have is $200,000. This insurance will also pay for most of the legal and investigative costs.

Courts often award much more money (called compensation or damages) than $200,000—sometimes $1 million or more—especially if the victim was seriously injured. [http://www.icbc.com/autoplan/optional/Pages/Default.aspx You can buy much more insurance] than $200,000—up to several million dollars. And most people do. You can buy this extra insurance from ICBC or from a private insurance company. Buying more than the basic insurance is even more important if you drive to the United States because accident costs (especially medical) can be much higher there.

If you have only the basic $200,000 insurance, and someone you injure sues you for more, you may have to pay the rest. That can be a financial disaster for you.

===Autoplan includes under-insured motorist protection===

Basic Autoplan includes under-insured motorist insurance up to $1 million. For example, say you are hurt in an accident that is the other driver’s fault, and that driver has only the basic $200,000 insurance. But ICBC decides your claim is worth $800,000. What happens? ICBC will pay your full $800,000 claim through your under-insured motorist protection.

You can increase the under-insured motorist protection with ICBC from $1 million to $2 million.

===Autoplan includes protection against hit-and-run accidents===

===You can lose your insurance if you break the law===

Be careful not to lose your insurance by driving while you’re prohibited or your license is suspended or committing a crime while driving. In these cases, your third-party legal liability insurance may not cover you, and you may have to pay for any damage or injury you cause in an accident.

==Benefits (compensation) if you’re hurt in a motor vehicle accident==

#no-fault accident benefits

ICBC pays [http://www.icbc.com/claims/determine-fault/Pages/If-you-are-not-at-fault.aspx no-fault accident benefits] to all injured drivers and passengers of any vehicle licensed and insured in BC, as long as those people have met the insurance conditions. It doesn’t matter who caused the accident. You can apply for benefits if the accident occurred in BC, elsewhere in Canada or in the United States. You may also get benefits if the vehicle wasn’t insured in BC: for example, if you were hurt as a passenger in an out-of-province vehicle, but you had a BC driver’s license.

If you are a BC resident who is hurt in an accident in Canada as a pedestrian or cyclist, you can get accident benefits if you have basic ICBC insurance or a BC driver’s license, or if you live with someone who has basic ICBC insurance or a BC driver’s license.

You must meet the conditions of the insurance to get accident benefits. For example, if you were injured while driving without a valid driver’s license, or crashing your car in a suicide attempt, or racing or in a speed test, ICBC will not pay you any accident benefits.

The amounts of benefits described below are changing in 2019, as this [http://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/changing-auto-insurance-BC/Documents/Changes-to-auto-insurance-in-BC-factsheet.pdf ICBC factsheet] explains.

====What no-fault accident benefits can you receive?====

Accident benefits include the following amounts:

'''Income replacement benefits'''—you can receive weekly disability payments if you were employed (working) before the accident, but have been totally disabled and unable to work since. You get 75% of your gross weekly earnings (minus any weekly total wage loss payments from other sources) or $300 a week currently and $740 a week starting in April 2019, whichever is less. ICBC considers you employed if you worked any 6 of the 12 months before the accident.

'''Homemaker benefits'''—if you stayed home and looked after your family and home, you can get up to $145 a week in homemaker benefits (up to $280 a week starting in April 2019). But your injury must substantially or continuously stop you from regularly performing most household tasks.

If you have other benefits like employment insurance, workers compensation or a private disability plan through your job, you must apply for these other benefits first. And ICBC will subtract these other benefits from the accident benefits it pays you.

Basic Autoplan insurance will pay for motor vehicle claims against you up to $200,000. But it’s good to buy more insurance—for both third-party legal liability and under-insured motorist protection. If you’re hurt in an accident, you may be entitled to certain ICBC accident benefits. If your injuries were caused by another person’s negligence, you may also be paid for all your expenses directly related to the accident, plus damages for your other losses. But ICBC will subtract the accident benefits from the total damages you receive.

'''The above was last edited by John Blois.'''