Value of 'real housewives'

If you are a housewife or homemaker chances are that you are not living the extravagant lifestyle of the “Real Housewives” as depicted in the new television series, the Real Housewives of Vancouver (debuts on April 4, 2012). More than likely your family depends on you for tasks, such...

Is ICBC watching me?

ICBC has recently demonstrated that biometrics is no longer just for Hollywood types like James Bond or Mission Impossible’s, Ethan Hunt. On February 16, 2012, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia issued a 42 page report and press release regarding...

Court quashes ICBC policy

  ICBC was recently taken to task on one of its more commonly cited accident benefit policies, which is: “ICBC is not required to pay for massage therapy.” Not true, said the BC Court of Appeal on November 29, 2011 in a case called Raguin v. Insurance Corporation of British...

Too late to sue?

  Photo: Contributed   Our lives are inundated with deadlines and time limits. Some time limits make events more exciting, such as the game show Minute to Win It where contestants have a minute to do silly tasks like balance six dice on a Popsicle...

Waiver Forms - what are they?

      As a personal injury lawyer, it may come as no surprise that my friends and family joke about whether they need to sign a waiver form before entering my home. For those of you who are thinking, “Does she actually make them sign a waiver?” the answer...

Are you covered?

Photo: Contributed - (Flickr user, charliebrewer)   School’s out for summer, and that only means one thing: summer vacation! Many of us get caught up in the excitement of planning our vacation, including details like where to go, what activities to do, who...

Facts your adjuster won't reveal

If you are injured in an accident, one of the first people you will have to deal with is your friendly neighbourhood insurance adjuster (insert “It’s a Beautiful Day in Your Neighborhood” background music here). However, no matter how friendly they appear, you need to...

What is your cycle savvy?

With the warm weather upon us, the cyclists are starting to come out in full force. If you are like most people when you drive, you feel like you have to be psychic to figure out where the cyclists are coming from and going to and you get frustrated with cyclists who don’t seem...

Bully for hire?

One of my favorite movies of all time, the Karate Kid, provides a classic example of bullying. Daniel Larusso (played by Ralph Macchio) moves to a new community where he gets repeatedly bullied by a school mate, Johnny Lawrence (played by Willam Zabka). Fortunately for Daniel, his apartment...

Smart phones - dumb drivers

There are many great applications you can download for your cell phone these days but unfortunately, common sense is not one of them. Almost everyday in my travels I see people talking and texting on their phones while driving. The behavior is so common in fact that you might never know that it...

Winter tires required?

You know winter is here when the topic of conversation around the water cooler, or in my case a birthday party, is, “So… have you put your winter tires on yet?” Unfortunately, most of us procrastinate until the first major snowfall, thereby resulting in massive line ups at the tire stores....

Pedestrian vs. vehicle

Most of us learned to look both ways before crossing the street and this simple advice couldn’t have been more applicable than during my recent trip to New York. Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised at the incredible speeds, and NASCAR maneuvers used by the taxicabs down the main streets of...

Medical leave

If you are injured in an accident you may need time off from work. Time away often creates problems for both employers and employees. Some of these issues include: compensation during your leave of absence, short term and long term disability benefit entitlement, your employer’s right to...

Death worth less than injury?

It may be hard to believe but it’s true that the loss of a loved one, caused by a wrongful act of another, such as negligence in a motor vehicle accident, is often worth less money than if the same person was injured. The reason has to do with the Family Compensation Act of British Columbia,...

Left turn - who's at fault?

We’ve all been there, sitting in our car in a left turning lane waiting impatiently for the never ending traffic to pass or the light to turn yellow so that we can finally make our left turn. We’ve possibly even waited through a couple sets of light changes before we finally get to the front...

What's in your medical records?

What’s in your medical records? Do you know? The answer to this simple question can have a significant impact on what insurance companies, like ICBC, are prepared to offer you in the settlement of your accident case or why you might be denied coverage under your long term disability policy or...

Steps in a lawsuit

There are new Supreme Court Rules coming into effect in British Columbia on July 1, 2010. While many rules remain the same, there are also some significant changes. The following paragraphs set out a summary of the main steps in a personal injury lawsuit that will apply under the new Rules. It...

Be sure you're insured

Most of us drive around confident that we have insurance coverage in the event of an accident. Unfortunately, many people find out after the fact that they don’t have the coverage they thought they had. The following paragraphs set out some of the most common situations where people find...

More motor car accident facts

FAQ – I was in an accident in BC, but the other driver was from another province, can I still make a personal injury claim? Answer: Yes. You are still entitled to ICBC Accident Benefits and, if the out of province driver is at fault, you can commence legal action against the out of province...

Malingering

Wherever there is money to be made, there will always be people who are looking to abuse the system. Many of you may have seen insurance scams uncovered on television and may even know or heard about someone who got “more money then they deserved” as a result of being “injured” in an...