Ontario woman shocked she has to pay for car repairs after hit-and-run collision
Ontario woman shocked she has to pay for car repairs after hit-and-run collision
An Ontario woman said she was shocked when she had to pay for repairs after her car was struck from behind by a pick-up truck and the driver fled the scene of the collision.
“I was so disappointed and hurt. The guy hit me from the back and pushed me into the car in front of me," Toronto woman Niashia Browne told CTV News Toronto.
Browne said she was stopped at a red light on Dec. 21 when a large dark-coloured pick-up truck crashed into the back of her 2016 Honda Civic.
Security video viewed by CTV News Toronto shows the truck did not attempt to slow down as it slammed into her car.
Browne said she was dazed by the crash, but got out to speak with the driver of the pick-up truck.
"He never got out of his truck and all he said to me was ‘Sorry, let’s exchange information,’ and when I went back to my car to retrieve my information in a split second he was already gone," Browne said.
Browne said she is working two jobs to pay her family’s bills, and she said to save money she dropped collision coverage from her insurance policy.
Since the other driver left the scene of the accident, Browne will have to repair her car herself, something she said she can't afford.
Browne says she received a quote to repair the back of her car for $8,000. She was told the front of her car could also cost that much or more which means it may have to be written off and not worth fixing.
"I’m hoping they can find this person to take full responsibility for what he has done," Browne said,
Niashia Browne's car is seen in this undated photograph.
Ontario drivers pay some of the most expensive car insurance premiums in the country and some people are looking for ways to cut costs by dropping collision coverage.
To legally drive, it's mandatory to have liability insurance, but you don’t have to have collision coverage.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) said if a driver hits your vehicle and leaves, liability coverage does not cover repairs to your car.
"That would be considered a hit and run and if you don't have collision coverage there would be no coverage under your policy for that," Anne Marie Thomas, with IBC, said.
The high cost of car insurance in Ontario could be contributing to more hit-and-run collisions in the City of Toronto.
According to Toronto Police Traffic Services, there were 5,081 hit-and-run collisions in 2022 and 6,212 in 2021.
Browne is insured with Belairdirect. CTV News Toronto reached out to the company and a spokesperson said “We are unable speak to a particular customer’s claim due to privacy reasons; however, we can share that we work very closely with our customers and investigations are ongoing.”
“For auto accidents, police reports can take up to 30 days to be produced, so outcomes on a claim may take time to be finalized. In some circumstances, if additional evidence becomes available the outcome on a claim may change and coverage restored.”
“In this case, the situation has changed, and we now have additional evidence to proceed with full coverage for the vehicle damage claim. Our customer has been advised of this position and we are moving forward.”
Brown said Belairdirect will now provide coverage for her smashed up 2016 Honda Civic and provide her with a rental car.
“I can actually smile again I was so depressed. This is a massive relief for me and my family,” said Browne.
Thomas said it’s recommended to keep collision coverage on your vehicle unless it's very old or it's not worth very much.
If in doubt talk to your insurance company about your policy and coverages to see if your car is covered if it's stolen, vandalized or in a hit and run.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent endrun around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is forcing MPs to debate and then vote on a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
Even at one of the tallest natural peaks on Earth, humans have left their mark in a trail of bacteria as researchers have found germs from coughing and sneezing that have been potentially preserved for centuries on Mount Everest.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Two families were displaced early Monday morning after a fire ripped through a building in Montreal's Quartier Latin. No one was injured, according to the Montreal fire department (SIM).
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
The first day of spring in the London region will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 6 C, slightly warmer than the average high for this time of year.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
St. Patrick's day street parties in Waterloo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau making an announcement in Guelph, and a woman charged with defrauding doulas round out the most-read stories of the week.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
The Rideau McDonald's Farewell March brought people from across the city, some dressed in costumes, who wanted to say goodbye to a part of what they say makes Ottawa Ottawa.
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
The investigation into a house explosion in Windsor will continue Monday. The process wrapped up for the day around 7 p.m. at the scene on Aspen Lane in east Windsor.
The first day of spring in Windsor-Essex will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 9 C, nearly 2 C warmer than the average high for this time of year.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
The University of Prince Edward Island coach is defending the team’s actions, after the University of Alberta team skated off the ice without handshakes at the U Sports Men’s Hockey National Championship in Charlottetown.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
One person has been confirmed dead and six people remain missing as police continue to search for victims after a fire swept through a building in Old Montreal on Thursday.
Vancouver firefighters were called to the Downtown Eastside Sunday evening after a fire destroyed multiple tents in an encampment and spread to a building near Main and East Hastings streets.
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
Niashia Browne's car is seen in this undated photograph.
