A recent unreported decision of the BC Supreme Court in Rabanes v. Banfield found that physiotherapists are not qualified to give an opinion on diagnosis or prognosis. While a physiotherapist, massage therapist or acupuncturist may be wonderful at helping you heal, their opinions as to the key elements of your ICBC claim will not be accepted by the court. As such, ICBC also puts little weight in their opinions. Only qualified doctors can give the opinions that the Court, and ICBC, want to hear about to make their decisions on the value of your claim. So, don’t get caught out by not seeing your doctor regularly. See the doctor every 4 – 6 weeks as long as you are having any symptoms, or if you are off work, at least every 2 weeks. This will allow the doctor to assess and monitor your progress, and ultimately be in the best position to provide you, ICBC, and the Court, the opinions needed to support your claim.
