A thousand-plus claims in less than one month take time for ICBC to process.
Related story here: First responder vehicles impacted
Related story here: Claims skyrocket
Especially when the claims stem from the Trail sulphuric acid spills and require extra time for inspection.
“First off, we want to thank our customers for their patience as we work as fast as possible to process these claims,” Jiana Ling, ICBC’s Issues Management Advisor, told the Trail Times.
“It is uncommon for ICBC to receive such high volumes of claims within a short period of time. Currently, we received over 1000 claims related to the acid spill in Trail.”
At the moment, the numbers are not broken down between the April 10 spill or the May 23 spill.
“Many customers are reporting a claim as a pre-caution because the acid is hard to detect on their own,” Liang explained.
“These are complex claims that require extra time to inspect as each vehicle is exposed to varying degrees of acid, affecting different parts and components of the vehicle,” she said.
“We are consulting with a technical expert to help review the claims and make decisions based on the extent of the damage caused to each vehicle by the spill.”
She says if customers purchased Optional coverage with ICBC, the acid spill will be covered under comprehensive coverage.
“Comprehensive claims will not affect a customer’s current safe-driving discount level,” Liang continued. “Every customer’s premium is based on their individual claim-rated scale level, current ICBC insurance rates, and a variable set of information specific to their coverage. The exact premium amount can only be determined by an Autoplan broker when customers renew their insurance policy or take out a new one.”
To remain fair to all BC drivers, Liang said ICBC is obligated to fully inspect each vehicle to confirm all claims are legitimate and the damage being presented are in fact related to this acid spill.
“Combating fraud is a top priority for ICBC,” she concluded. “If you have information on potential fraud, we encourage you to call their tips line at 1-800-661-6844; the line is open anytime, 24/7.”
