ICBC to get $862,000 damages from staged accident ring

B.C.’s public insurer has been awarded compensatory and punitive damages to the tune of $643,000 from defendants involved in a stage accident ring by a provincial Supreme Court jury. This is on top of $219,000 recovered in pre-trial settlements by the Insurance Corp. of B.C. (ICBC).
The ring involved 25 people from the Greater Vancouver Area, staging five accidents between March 1995 and September 1997.
“ICBC has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards fraud,” says Bill Goble, ICBC’s chief operating officer. “This case clearly demonstrates a victory for all of our paying customers whose premiums are affected by those who attempt to defraud the insurance system.”
The jury deliberated for two days before awarding the insurer $213,000 in compensatory damages and $430,000 in punitive damages. This includes individual punitive damages from $20,000 to $75,000.
Some issues still remain before the courts, include joint and several liability for the defendants.