A Calgary man who was seriously injured in a crash in 2020 on the Trans-Canada Hwy. says Alberta’s auto insurance model, which allows victims to sue, helped him survive after receiving more than $1 million in settlement.
The car he was a passenger in, driven by his father, rolled over on the highway when his father started choking as they drove to Banff.
Parsa Amiri, 20, told the Western Standard Tuesday he sustained nerve damage, leading to surgery that changed his life plans, citing his dream to become an athlete, which is now not an option.
“I planned on pursuing Taekwondo,” Amiri said.
“Prior to the accident, I wanted to compete professionally in combat sports. I was very good. I had never lost. I have all my medals right next to me. I competed in nationals in Canada. I got gold. And after that, it was just growing up, basically — the more I grew up, the more opportunities I would have had. And yeah, I mean, I was on a good trajectory, but personally, it got all taken away."
Right after the incident, Amiri received medical treatment from the insurance company. However, it wasn’t sufficient, he said, citing the need for ongoing checkups and his inability to work. That was when he opted to sue. He said the process took about five years.
He sued his father, and since at the time of the incident his father was covered by insurance, it was the insurer's responsibility to handle the case, his lawyer said, noting that the settlement was paid by the insurance company.
His lawyer’s intervention secured a $1.2-million settlement, enabling him to afford ongoing medical treatment and physiotherapy. He stressed the crucial role of his lawyer in rebuilding his life and providing financial stability, despite the challenges of his injury.
Amiri’s lawyer, Ricky Bagga, said in an interview his client’s severe injuries, including broken vertebrae, led to the settlement. Bagga stressed the importance of holding insurance companies accountable and ensuring fair treatment for victims.
“(He) had a lawyer in his corner fighting for his treatment, fighting to get him MRIs that the insurance company did not want to cover,” Bagga said.
Amiri is now a student studying to become a lawyer.
“Before everything, I was an athlete. I was very good at what I did, and that was going to be my life goal afterwards... I didn't plan on being a student," he said.
“I have the opportunity to go to school thanks to that, which is, you know, something else I can start, right? It's something I can think about. And all the years that I couldn't work, and even now, I can't really do anything too crazy, right? I can't constantly work. My body is not in shape anymore. It's constantly in pain, and I'm always going to physio, and, you know, I need treatment every couple of weeks to be able to eat and move properly. So paying for all that is insanely high, right? You're paying, like, over $100 almost weekly, so without support from a lawyer, like, there's no way anyone can afford that,” he said.
The Alberta government introduced a no-fault auto insurance system, effective at the beginning of 2027. Advocates say it could take away victims’ rights, leaving them in vulnerable positions.
The new system, the Care-First Auto Insurance model, will provide unlimited treatment coverage for victims for life, but will bar them from suing for damages, such as pain and suffering, an associate lawyer at Crash Lawyers, Tyler van Vliet, told the Western Standard.
Bagga explained that the current system allowed him to step in and advocate for the medical care Amiri urgently needed. He emphasized the difference in outcomes under the proposed changes, saying that under the new Care-First and no-fault system, Amiri would only get up to $187,000 instead of a $1.2 million settlement.
According to Bagga, under the new system, Amiri would also have to deal with the insurance company on his own, where it would decide what treatment he gets, if any, and for how long.
“The way it works right now is: If you get hurt in a car accident, you get treatment coverage from your own insurance for up to two years after the car accident, and then once we hit that two-year mark, you're suing the at-fault insurance company — the insurance company for the driver who caused the accident — to make sure that you have the cost of your future medical expenses as well as compensation for any lost income, loss of ability to do housekeeping chores around your house, and the pain and suffering that you've dealt with along the way,” van Vliet explained.
“The way it works under the new system is that once you're hurt in a car accident, you'll have what they're saying is unlimited treatment for life, but then no ability to sue for those other financial aspects. You'll get your treatment covered, but you won't be able to sue for your pain and suffering and things of that nature. So essentially, you're extending the treatment side of things from your coverage, but you're not being made whole financially for the impact of the accident.”
The new system is going to be similar to the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB), where victims who lose the ability to work would be getting part of their lost income, but not all of it, according to van Vliet.
When asked about the percentage of the lost income that will be covered, he said insurance companies will have the sole power to decide. The current system, on the other hand, allows victims to sue insurance companies and get their lost income covered in full.
"Alberta is implementing a Care-First Auto Insurance system that will deliver better, faster, and cheaper care for Alberta drivers," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance told the Western Standard in an email."Until that system is implemented, the rate cap will keep rates from increasing too rapidly."
