How does the personal injury process work?
Once we agree to represent you, we’ll contact ICBC and other involved insurance companies on your behalf. We’ll notify them we’re representing you and that they should only contact us from now on. This frees you to focus on healing. It also means that you will no longer be in a position to accidentally say or do anything which might weaken your case.
Next, we’ll start investigating your accident. We’ll collect all the relevant documents and interview all of the witnesses. We’ll collect relevant medical records and bills. If you took pictures at the scene we’ll examine those as well.
From there, we’ll start the negotiation process with the relevant insurance company and responsible party. Usually in Kelowna this will be ICBC, but there may be other insurance companies involved, or even multiple companies.
92% of the time we can negotiate a fair settlement just by presenting the other party with the same strong case we’d bring to the courtroom. Most cases settle out of court. Knowing how to negotiate a fair settlement is a big part of the reason why you hire a lawyer. You go in with strength, rather than going in as a supplicant trying to ask for money.
The other 8% of the time ICBC or other insurance companies push the matter into litigation. When that happens you want a tough, prepared team of lawyers with a proven track record of winning cases.
