A 70-year-old woman who was injured in a Vancouver hit-and-run is speaking out about her experience with ICBC.
Loreen English was hit by an SUV as she was crossing Grandview Highway at Slocan Street on July 11. The vehicle drove off, and no one got a clear look at the licence plate.
“I couldn’t lift my head because I have a broken collarbone, I’ve got a fractured left hip and pelvis, broken nose, blood’s pouring from my face,” English told Global News.
But English said her trouble with ICBC began after she was in hospital and started to try and process her claim.
“When I got in touch with ICBC,(they said) well, we need to know if the licence plate, if it was a B.C. plate or if it was from out of province,” she said.
“It’s a hit and run. You’re probably never going to know that. And then she tried to explain to me, ‘Well, you know, it depends, because if it’s an out-of-province vehicle, it’ll fall under different insurance.’”
From there, English alleges things went downhill.
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She said she wasn’t getting clear answers from the public insurer about what mobility equipment and treatment services she would be eligible for.
“All I was getting was, well, just keep the receipts. We may not or we may cover, but keep the receipts. I’m a senior. I’m on a basic pension. I’m living in subsidized housing. I can’t forecast,” she said.
“I just needed to know when I leave here, I’m going to have to have equipment in my apartment, equipment to sleep, proper equipment to walk, proper to get me from just simple things like the laundry room or go get my mail and go to the apartment. Because I cannot walk on my own.”
English said ICBC only became responsive once she involved Global News.
“Boom, my phone started to blow up with ICBC trying to call me,” she said.
ICBC spokesperson Greg Harper stressed that at no point did the insurer deny benefits to English.
“When we were first informed of the claim, roughly two weeks ago, we didn’t have information about the driver or the vehicle involved, so we sought out that information while she was recovering in hospital,” he said.
He acknowledged that if police were able to confirm the driver was from out of province, then English would have to deal with that person’s insurer, but said ICBC would still cover anything the primary insurer didn’t.
But he maintained that she would be fully covered either way.
“Our focus right now is her transition from the hospital to her home. We want to make sure that’s as smooth as possible. So we have a hospital discharge team that’s been working with hospital staff. We have an occupational therapist that’s been assigned to her case as well,” he said.
Harper added that English would be eligible for modifications to her home or help with her day-to-day activities, if they’re necessary.
English, meanwhile, said the experience has left a “bad taste” in her mouth.
“I think they should be much more open to the victim as to the steps that they are going to take, let that person know, because when you are you are crippled up, you’re in pain, you’re on medication that you don’t really normally take, and you’re sitting here lying in bed worrying and just driving yourself crazy, worrying about how are you going to manage when you leave the hospital,” she said.
“I think ICBC should be really sympathetic and really point out immediately what’s going to happen, what are the steps … we’re going to hold your hand. We’re going to get through this.”
Vancouver police, meanwhile, continue to search for the driver in the collision. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is asked to contact the VPD Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012 or email vpdciu@vpd.ca.
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