A lady in Waterloo, Ont. is out 1000’s of {dollars} for a automobile crash she wasn’t concerned in. Lee Lachapelle was woken up round 11 p.m. on June 9 when a neighbour rang her door bell.
“My neighbour asked me ‘You own the Dodge Journey, right?’ and I said ‘Yeah,’” she defined. “He said ‘You might want to come out to the road. It’s been hit.’”
When she walked out, she noticed her white van totalled.
Waterloo regional police affirm a stolen automobile crashed into Lachapelle’s van, which then smashed into the automobile parked behind hers.
“My front end was completely crushed when they pulled the Mercedes off,” she mentioned. “My battery was on the ground. It had pushed [my car] I’d say a good 15 or 20 feet.”
Lachapelle and others in her neighbourhood had been parking on Mayfield Avenue resulting from building occurring on her avenue, Quickfall Drive.
In a press release, the Metropolis of Waterloo mentioned the crash is unlucky.
“During road reconstruction, we do our best to maintain access to properties as much as possible, but there are times when residential access can’t be maintained,” the town mentioned.
“We have been following the usual road construction parking practices for Langford Place and Quickfall Drive, although having only one entrance for cul-de-sac projects is more challenging. Access during the evening or on weekends unfortunately can’t be guaranteed.”
Insurance coverage efforts
Lachapelle assumed her insurance coverage by Echelon would cowl all of the related prices from the crash, together with the $21,000 she nonetheless owed on the automobile, a rental automobile and ultimately a brand new automobile.
As an alternative, she mentioned they supplied her about $14,000 and 9 days with a rental.
“I kept saying ‘No, this is not acceptable’ and so on and so forth. They told me ‘Well, it’s a hit-and-run and nobody’s been caught, so that’s all you get. You get the retail value of the car on today’s market,’” Lachapelle mentioned.
She ultimately took the $14,000. She’s nonetheless left with $7,000 owed on the totalled automobile, prices for extra days with a rental and now a brand new automobile she’s bought.
“If this hadn’t happened in the first place, I wouldn’t now be $38,000 in debt,” she mentioned, including that she’s gotten by with a number of assist from good mates.
The Insurance coverage Bureau of Canada (IBC) mentioned sadly, this payout technique is the usual.
“An insurance company will pay you no more than the car’s actually worth,” Anne Marie Thomas, director of client and business relations with the IBC mentioned. “You’re probably not going to find a year, make and model of her vehicle on AutoTrader or another used car site or a used car lot that sells it for the same value as her loan.”
As a result of it was a hit-and-run, Lachappelle is on the hook for greater than she could be if the driving force had been recognized.
“Even though it wasn’t her fault, a hit and run is paid out under the collision section of your policy. Therefore, you have to pay the deductible,” she mentioned. “In Ontario, if you get into an accident with someone and it’s not your fault, as long as the other drive is identified and insured, your insurance company will pay out under the direct compensation section of your policy. That has no deductible.”
She added that if the hit and run driver is caught, it’s potential Lachappelle may get her deductible again.
“Because this driver was not identified and therefore can’t validate insurance, the only coverage available to pay this claim out of is the collision which is subject to a deductible. It’s the only time a not-at-fault accident is oftentimes having the deductible applied.”
Thomas mentioned instances like this provide a reminder for each driver to examine their insurance coverage coverage commonly to know what’s coated. She acknowledged the psychological toll this case would tackle any automobile proprietor.
“To replace it, it’s stressful 100 per cent. But at the end of the day, no matter how much that car is worth to us, dollar for dollar emotions are taken out of it at claim time,” Thomas mentioned.
In a press release, Echelon mentioned it can’t talk about the main points of claims resulting from privateness.
“Echelon works with our brokers to ensure that insurance coverage is explained clearly at the point of purchase,” the assertion mentioned.
“Every claim that is reported at Echelon is handled with due diligence and care, with our insureds’ safety as our top priority.”
On Monday, Lachapelle filed a court docket case towards Echelon in hopes of getting again what she has misplaced from this case. She mentioned she additionally misplaced her new job close to Stratford as a result of she’s been dealing with the aftermath and has had occasions when she was and not using a automobile.
She’s sharing her story in hopes of letting others understand it may occur to anybody.
“Nobody is taking responsibility and people need to know this,” she mentioned. “People need to know don’t give up the fight.”
