Updated Jun 1, 2022
At Burquitlam Physiotherapy, we understand the emotional stress many patients unnecessarily have when dealing with ICBC or WorkSafeBC injury claims. The frequent communication that is required between so many parties during the course of an injury claim can be a distraction from therapy.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, ICBC will cover the cost of your injuries even if you are at fault. ICBC has made it clear they will support early intervention by pre-approving physiotherapy intervention without a physician’s referral. ICBC will cover the entire cost of physiotherapy during this pre-approval period, which covers you for 25 visits over 12 weeks from the date of accident. If you initiate care within this period, a physician’s referral is not required. A patient only needs to provide a valid ICBC injury claim number to initiate care.
Beyond this period, if more treatment is necessary, ICBC will ask for an update from the physiotherapist to determine the value of continued treatment, and may require a physician’s referral. This also applies if your motor vehicle accident took place over 12 weeks ago. With your permission, we will contact the appropriate parties to seek coverage as quickly as possible.
If you have been injured in a workplace accident, WorkSafeBC will cover the cost of your treatment provided the date of the injury was less than 60 days ago and your claim and injury are allowed. This is not guaranteed because other parties such as your workplace and physician may be involved, so please call our office and provide your WorkSafeBC claim number. We will then be able to look into your claim and advise you on the appropriate steps in order for you to be able to concentrate on your recovery without having to worry about treatment costs.
From a legal perspective
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident (ICBC), please see our FAQ section provided by Ivar Lee from Paine Edmonds.
Q. What do I do immediately after a motor vehicle accident?
A. First and foremost, stay calm and don’t panic. Make sure you and anyone else in your vehicle do not require immediate medical attention. If so, call 9-1-1 for assistance. If immediate medical attention is not required, often times emergency services (ie. police and paramedics) will not attend the scene.
If it is safe to do so (ie. both vehicles have been pulled over to a safe spot on the side of the road or the police have attended and secured the scene), you will next need to exchange the following information with the other motorist involved:
1) License plate number, year, make, and model of each vehicle;
2) Your names, addresses, and driver’s license numbers;
3) Names and address of the owners of the vehicles; and
4) Names of your insurance companies.
If there were any witnesses to the accident, make sure to secure their names and contact information (address, phone, or email address).
If the police attended, make sure to ask the attending officer for the police file number (they’ll often write it down on a business card).
If you have a smartphone with a camera and again it is safe to do so, take photographs of the damage to both vehicles as well as any skid marks left at the scene. Also take a photograph of the accident scene itself (ie. a photograph of the entire intersection). If you have any visible injuries (ie. cuts or bruises), take photographs of those as well.
After you leave the accident scene, seek immediate medical attention (ie. hospital, your family doctor, or a walk-in clinic) so your injuries can be documented by a medical professional.
After you have received medical attention, contact your insurance company. If ICBC is your insurer, contact ICBC Dial-a-Claim at 604.520.8222 in the Lower Mainland or 1.800.910.4222 to report the accident giving the details you’ve gathered as well as a description of how the accident occurred. You will be assigned an ICBC claim number as well as an appointment to meet with an estimator to assess the damage to your vehicle and a bodily injury adjuster to discuss your injury claim.
I highly recommend you seek legal advice before discussing your injury claim with an adjuster either in phone or in person. If you retain a lawyer, you do not have to meet with the adjuster because your lawyer can handle the rest for you.
Q. What do I do immediately after falling in a store because of a slippery floor or other hazardous condition?
A. Again, stay calm and don’t panic. If you need immediate medical assistance, ask one of the store’s employees for First Aid assistance. Most stores will have an employee trained in First Aid; if they don’t, they can call an ambulance for you. Also, ask for the store’s manager so that you can report the incident to them so they can notify their insurance company about your injury claim.
If there were any witnesses to your fall, be sure to get their names and contact information:
(address, phone, or email address).
If you have a smartphone with a camera and again it is safe to do so, take photographs of the hazardous condition that caused your fall (ie. if it was a puddle of water, take a photograph of it as well as any skid marks left by your footwear, if any). If you have any visible injuries (ie. cuts or bruises), take photographs of those as well.
After you leave the accident scene, seek immediate medical attention (ie. hospital, your family doctor, or a walk-in clinic) so your injuries can be documented by a medical professional.
The store manager or an adjuster with the store’s insurance company will likely contact you to discuss your injury claim. I highly recommend you seek legal advice before discussing your injury claim with an adjuster either in phone or in person. If you retain a lawyer, you do not have to meet with the adjuster because your lawyer can handle the rest for you.
Q. Is ICBC or WorkSafe BC responsible for covering the cost of treatment if I am involved in a motor vehicle accident while I’m working?
A. This depends on whether the other driver involved was also working at the time. If you are both clearly working at the time of the accident (ie. you are both couriers en route making deliveries), you will both be restricted to making claims to WorkSafe BC as they will be responsible for covering the cost of your treatment (ie. up to the limits set out by WorkSafe BC regulations).
If you were working at the time but the other driver was not, you are entitled to choose between making a claim with ICBC or WorkSafe BC (see below).
Unfortunately, some cases are not so clear as to whether someone is considered to be “working”. For instance, grey areas often arise when someone is on their way home, going to work, or on a lunch break. There are many factors that can affect this determination so it is best to seek legal advice before making your accident report to ICBC or WorkSafe BC so that all necessary facts and details are provided.
Q. Do I have the option of choosing either ICBC or WorkSafe BC?
A. So long as the other driver involved was not working at the time of the accident, you have the option of making a claim with WorkSafe BC or ICBC. If you choose to make an ICBC claim, in some rare cases, you can still be entitled to benefits from WorkSafe BC even after settling your ICBC claim. As such, it is a good idea to submit an application to WorkSafe BC anyways as this will preserve your right to future benefits if you are so entitled. Make sure your application is submitted as soon as possible before the deadline to submit claims to WorkSafe BC.