A young Surrey woman has been ordered by a judge to reimburse ICBC more than $26,000 after she crashed her father’s car and lied about it.
In addition, Michelle Larocque was also fined $1,000 after she pleaded guilty to providing a false statement to ICBC.
Larocque was 19 in August 2005 and had only a Learner licence when she got behind the wheel of her father’s leased 2002 Lincoln by herself and crashed into another vehicle.
Under British Columbia’s Graduated Licensing Program, learners are required to be accompanied by an adult aged 25 or older with a valid Class 5 driver’s licence.
Steven Tripp, manager of ICBC’s Special Investigations Unit, said that while Larocque claimed she was not alone in the car, the other driver and three independent witnesses all told ICBC she was the only person in the vehicle.
“Normally, ICBC would bring a separate court action against the driver to recover payments made on the insurance claim,” Tripp said. “But Provincial Court Judge Gulbransen ordered Ms. Larocque to pay restitution in the amount of $26,131.
“The message here, clearly, is that lying to avoid a hike in premiums or a fine just isn’t worth it.”
