Crash survivor backs insurance reform

He believes the current definition fails to reflect the reality faced by people living with life-altering injuries.

“It’s pretty clear that if a person is missing a limb, that is a catastrophic injury. This is something that is life altering. It affects everything they do, and it will affect everything they do forever after.”

One of the people directly affected by the current rules is Quesnel resident Chantal Sutton.

Three years ago, Sutton was riding her motorcycle up Dragon Lake Hill when a collision with a truck changed her life forever.

“The truck came down the hill and directly hit me and the car beside me took my leg off right at the scene.”

Nurses who happened to be travelling behind her were able to apply a tourniquet and stop the bleeding before emergency crews arrived.

Sutton spent a month in hospital recovering from her injuries, which included the loss of her leg, multiple broken ribs, a shoulder blade injury and a traumatic brain injury.

Today, she continues to undergo rehabilitation and recently underwent knee replacement surgery, leaving her once again reliant on a wheelchair for much of the day. What frustrates her most is that despite her injuries, she has not been classified as catastrophically injured under the current system.

“I am basically in the middle of what they would classify as a catastrophic injury. How that is a non catastrophic injury story. How that is even possible I don’t know.”

Sutton says the designation has limited the support available to her and has created significant financial hardship for her family. According to Sutton, many of the costs associated with her recovery have come directly out of her own pocket.

“We have spent our whole retirement on this.”

She says years after the crash, the financial pressure remains overwhelming.

“We’re going in the hole. Our credit cards are racked up. We’re going in the hole. That’s all there is to it. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Sutton credits Clare and his constituency office staff with helping her navigate the system and pushing for changes she believes would help not only her, but others facing similar circumstances.

“Both Adam and Sheldon have helped me realize that I can fight. I can fight for the underdog. I can fight for people that are going through the same thing as me.”

Clare says the proposed changes are intentionally narrow in scope, focusing specifically on ensuring people with severe injuries can access the support they need. He argues a simple amendment could make a significant difference. Clare says the goal is not to overhaul the entire insurance system but to address what he views as an oversight in the legislation.

“What it would do is it would give them access to additional benefits and resources, to allow them to move on with their life.”

The bill would also allow people who may have missed previous deadlines to apply for catastrophic injury benefits by extending eligibility periods beyond the current claim window. Clare believes the proposal should receive support across party lines.

“I believe that this bill should have broad government support and should be supported by all parties. It is a very minor change that will have huge ramifications for affected people.”

For Sutton, the debate is about more than legislation. She says it is about ensuring people who suffer life-changing injuries receive the support they need to rebuild their lives.

“I would love for them to see me and hear my story. I would love it because I don’t know how they can sit there and look me dead in the eye and not say I’m catastrophic.”

Bill M237 remains before the B.C. legislature as supporters continue to push for its passage.

by Nick Dube

Crash survivor backs insurance reform

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