A woman in a wheelchair is accusing B.C.'s public insurer of taking away her independence after she lost her accessible van in a crash.
Alexis Chicoine has a full-time job and a busy schedule, and relied on her specially modified van to get around.
Unfortunately, the vehicle was written off last month after she was in an accident.
"I am really stuck right now," Chicoine said. "I have weekly meetings, board meetings, choir, wheelchair rugby."
Chicoine said her gas pedal went on the fritz and she was unable to stop the van from crashing. She had to steer it off the road and onto some rocks to bring it to a stop.
Fortunately, she wasn't hurt, but the vehicle was a write-off.
The Insurance Corporation of B.C. has offered her just over $22,000, but Chicoine said that's not enough to replace what she lost. Sidewinder Conversions, which specializes in mobility products, estimated she should be getting closer to $33,000.
"It's about the whole picture. It's about what the customer is losing," said general manager Graham Edney.
ICBC spokesman Sam Corea told CTV News that their offer isn't final, and that discussions are ongoing.
It's rare that accessible vehicles are lost in accidents, he added, and ICBC needs to do some research into the appropriate value of Chicoine's van.
"We're doing our due diligence right now," Corea said. "It's not a matter of just looking it up in a book and saying this is the value of a vehicle, there's a lot of research to be done."
That research will help the insurer deal with future claims involving accessible vehicles as well, Corea said.
Chicoine hopes it won't take long to get her back behind the wheel.
"Without my van I am not independent," she said. "I want to live my life again."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber
