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.