B.C. CRASH VICTIM GETS $0 FOR LIFELONG INJURY

In a disturbing case out of British Columbia, the real-world consequences of no-fault auto insurance are on full display — and it’s a warning Alberta cannot afford to ignore.

Richard Broad, a 60-year-old artist and military veteran from Nanaimo, was rear-ended at a red light in 2021. The crash left him with a permanent eye injury that obstructs his vision with a “pink blob” in his dominant eye. Mr. Broad works in film, illustration, and scenic design, and his injury has devastated his ability to work and function normally.

And yet, under B.C.’s no-fault insurance system, Mr. Broad was awarded nothing: $0 in compensation for a permanent, life-altering injury. Why? Because under no-fault, compensation for permanent impairment is calculated using a narrow formula focused on technical test results, not lived experience. In Mr. Broad’s case, even though multiple doctors confirmed his injury and its impact, his impairment didn’t “register” under ICBC’s standardized metrics. Because of this, Mr. Broad was denied any compensation whatsoever, even as the tribunal adjudicator admitted the outcome was “troubling.”

“Mr. Broad is not entitled to any compensation under the permanent impairment regulations, despite having a permanent injury,” the decision reads.

And just like that, injured victims are reduced to data points on an insurer’s spreadsheet and left with no recourse when a patently unfair and incorrect decision is reached.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If Care First becomes law in Alberta, stories like Richard Broad’s won’t be rare — they’ll be the norm. We’ll have the same rigid formulas, the same lack of legal recourse, and the same system that prioritizes insurer savings over human experience. This isn’t compassion, it’s cost control.

Read the full story in the Vancouver Sun: https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/despite-lifelong-eye-injury-from-crash-icbcs-no-fault-rules-means-man-gets-0