The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is suing manufacturers for their role in an acid spill that resulted in multiple cars getting damaged, but before the main trial can move forward, a court has ruled that the insurer still has to continue paying for the storage of the wrecked vehicles.
The insurer had requested the BC Supreme Court to allow it to dispose of the 519 vehicles it had declared were total write-offs after being damaged by acid spills. By disposing of the heavily damaged vehicles, ICBC was looking to save nearly $55,000 a month in storage fees. Court documents revealed that the insurer had paid about $1.6 million in storage fees so far.
ICBC accused Teck Metals, International Raw Materials, Westcan Bulk Transport, and other companies for their role in spilling sulphuric acid along a highway near Trail, BC in two separate incidents in April and May 2018.
In response to ICBC’s request to have the damaged cars disposed of, the defendants argued that the legal action’s very subject was the vehicle damage, and thus must be preserved. But ICBC maintained that if the defendants want the vehicles stored, they should pay for it.
However, earlier this week, Justice Paul Riley ordered ICBC to continue paying for the costs of storing the damaged cars until the end of March next year. CBC News reported that after the period, the defendants have to agree to allow the vehicles to be destroyed or pay for their storage.
