Queen Charlotte resident Shirley Steel is driving around with a giant dent in her truck because ICBC won't pay her ferry fare to Prince Rupert so she can get it repaired.
Even though the accident which caused the dent was not her fault, and even though ICBC has agreed to pay for the body work, Ms Steel said she can't afford to take her truck to Rupert.
The ferry fare for the truck would be about $200 there and back, never mind the cost of staying in a hotel for several days while the repairs get done. And right now, money is tight.
"I pay $1,200 a year for insurance," Ms Steel said. "I don't know if people on this island realize that if they get in an accident, even if they're 100 per cent in the right, that ICBC won't pay for the ferry."
Ms Steel said she called a body shop in Rupert which advertises that it will pay one-way on the ferry, but was told the repairs have to be over $2,000. The cost to take the dent out of her truck is estimated at $800.
ICBC's Doug Henderson, senior communications specialist, confirmed that ferry fares - and other transportation expenses - are not covered by ICBC insurance policies. Just as drivers in Vancouver have to pay for gas to get their vehicles to the repair shop, drivers on the islands must pay for the ferry, he said.