You were crossing at a corner on the way to work, or walking to the bus before the sun was up, or stepping off a curb in a parking lot. The driver didn't see you. You weren't in a car at all, and now you're the one dealing with insurance.
If you live in BC and a vehicle hits you while you're walking, ICBC's Enhanced Care covers your care and recovery, whoever was at fault and whether or not you insure a vehicle. Call 911 if you're hurt, report your claim to ICBC as soon as you can, and start a dated record of your symptoms that day.
Being on foot doesn't put you outside the system. It puts you at the centre of it, because you had nothing around you when it happened.
Is a pedestrian covered after being hit by a car in BC?
Yes. Since 1 May 2021, every BC resident hurt in a crash with a vehicle is entitled to Enhanced Accident Benefits from ICBC, including on foot. Fault doesn't change that, and you're covered even if you don't insure a vehicle.
There's no overall maximum on care and recovery benefits, though some individual benefits have limits. If you can't work, income replacement pays 90 percent of your net income, based on gross income of up to $122,500 a year.
For the first 12 weeks after the crash, you can start many treatments without a referral or approval from ICBC. You'll need your Personal Health Number and your ICBC claim number.
What will staying on Pacific time mean for your walk this Winter?
The dark moves from the walk home to the walk in. In Vancouver, the sun will now rise after 8 a.m. every day from 1 November to late February. Under the old clock, that only happened for about five weeks around the holidays.
That adds up to nearly 60 weekday mornings when the 8 a.m. walk to school, the bus or work used to be in daylight and now won't be. Around the shortest day, it will still be dark at 8 a.m. in Vancouver, and in Prince George the sun won't be up until about 9:30.
The late afternoon gets the hour back, and that matters. Most crashes involving pedestrians in BC happen between 3 and 6 p.m., and in December the sun will now set around 5:15 p.m. in Vancouver instead of 4:15. This Winter, the morning is the stretch to watch, especially for children walking to school and anyone heading to an early shift.
Fall and Winter are already the riskiest time to be on foot. Nearly half of crashes involving pedestrians in BC, 42 percent, happen between October and January, according to ICBC. On average, 53 pedestrians are killed and 2,266 injured every year in the province.
Out trick-or-treating? If a child is hit by a car
On Halloween, about 220 people are hurt in more than 800 crashes across BC on average, according to ICBC's figures for 2019 to 2023. This year it falls on a Saturday, so trick-or-treaters will share the streets with Saturday-night party traffic. If the worst happens, here is what to do.
Call 911 and stay with your child. If your child is hurt at all, police need to know, even if the driver says it was nothing.
Get your child checked the same day. Children often can't describe what hurts, and a fall onto pavement can hide an injury that shows up later. Tell the doctor your child was hit by a vehicle.
Be the one who keeps the record. Write down what your child said, how they slept, any change in mood or behaviour, and every school day missed. The record you keep is what shows how the weeks went. Our article on what families should write down goes further.
Book treatment early. Children who live in BC are covered by Enhanced Care like anyone else hurt by a vehicle. Some deadlines are longer for children, but the 12 weeks of treatment without approval start on the day of the crash.
Whose insurance does a pedestrian claim through in BC?
ICBC. Basic auto insurance in BC comes from ICBC, so you claim through its Enhanced Care whether or not you have a car or a policy of your own.
If you were working when you were hit, WorkSafeBC pays for your treatment first. Tell your employer the same day.
If the driver left the scene, ICBC needs a police report for an injury hit and run. Try to make it within 24 hours. Then report the claim to ICBC as soon as you can, and no later than six months after the crash. Note anything that could identify the vehicle, and ask witnesses for their details.
The British Columbia MVA Companion Guide sets out who to contact, along with the forms and the deadlines.
Does it matter who was at fault?
Not for your benefits. Under Enhanced Care, ICBC pays your care and recovery benefits whoever caused the crash.
It also means you generally can't sue the driver for your injuries. There are limited exceptions, such as a driver convicted of certain Criminal Code offences like impaired driving. If you disagree with an ICBC decision about your benefits, you can ask for a review, and after that take it to the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
Why do pedestrian injuries need extra care?
Because there's nothing between you and the vehicle. No seatbelt, no airbag, no frame. Even a slow impact can mean a fall onto pavement, a head injury or a knee or hip that takes the full force.
Adrenaline hides a lot at the scene. Many people stand up, say they're fine and walk home, then wake up the next morning unable to move. Our article on why car accident injuries sometimes appear days later explains why, and why the date a symptom first appears matters so much.
What should you do in the first week?
Four things, in this order.
Get assessed, even if you feel alright. Tell the doctor you were hit by a vehicle while walking, and describe every symptom, including the small ones. The 12 weeks of treatment without approval count from the day of the crash, so book early.
Make sure police know. If you're hurt, call 911. Police attend crashes where someone is injured. If they didn't come to the scene and you were hurt, call your local police non-emergency line and ask for a file number. In Vancouver, that's 604-717-3321.
Report your claim to ICBC. Do it as soon as it's safe to, online or by phone at 604-520-8222 in Vancouver or 1-800-910-4222 toll-free. The law asks you to tell ICBC promptly, and receipts for expenses are due within 180 days of the date you paid them. Our article on ICBC claim deadlines lists every date.
Start writing things down. Nobody else records the days between appointments. That part is yours.
What are you allowed to do?
You are allowed to make a claim even though you weren't in a vehicle.
You are allowed to see a doctor days later and say the pain arrived after the crash rather than at it.
You are allowed to say you're afraid to cross that street now, and to have that written into your file alongside the physical injuries.
You are allowed to change your route, or wait for daylight, while you recover.
You are allowed to ask a family member to keep notes for you if writing is hard right now.
What should you record after being hit while walking?
| What to record | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Where you were, which way you were walking and the light and weather | Sets out how it happened while your memory is clear |
| The vehicle, the driver's details and any witnesses | Hard to find again later, easy to note on day one |
| Your police file number and your ICBC claim number | ICBC and every treatment visit will ask for them |
| Every symptom and the date it first appeared | Connects each injury to the collision |
| Every appointment and receipt, and any visit you had to cancel | Shows treatment running continuously and keeps the 180 days in view |
| What you couldn't do that week that you could do before | Turns the injury into something another person can measure |
The National MVA Recovery Guide is built for anyone hurt in a collision, whether you were driving, riding or walking. It gives every symptom a date and every appointment a page.
Keep your recovery in one place
The National MVA Recovery Guide holds your whole recovery. The British Columbia MVA Companion Guide adds ICBC, the forms and the deadlines in BC.
Why use Hurt Square?
Because a pedestrian's injuries are often more serious, and the details of the day are hard to rebuild later. Hurt Square guides give you one place to keep it all.
- The day it happened, and every day after. The National MVA Recovery Guide has space for the first hours after your accident, daily pain and symptom tracking, every appointment and every expense, for anyone hurt by a vehicle.
- BC's rules, in plain words. The British Columbia MVA Companion Guide holds the ICBC deadlines, forms and steps in BC.
- Made for hard days. 192 pages and more than 1,600 fillable fields that work on your phone, tablet or computer, in plain language.
Both guides, $39 until 22 November. The National MVA Recovery Guide and the British Columbia MVA Companion Guide, with the discount applied at checkout. Bought separately: $63.99.
Get both guidesRead next
- “I Was Hurt in a Crash in BC!” | What Does ICBC Owe You Under Enhanced Care?
- Recovering After a Car Accident in British Columbia: A Complete Guide
- “I Got the Call About My Teen!” | Your Teen Was in a Car Accident: What Families Should Write Down
- “I Felt Fine. Now I Hurt!” | Why Car Accident Injuries Sometimes Appear Days Later
Last verified 24 October 2026. Coverage, treatment, hit-and-run steps and income figures from ICBC; deadlines from the Enhanced Accident Benefits Regulation; the time change from the Government of British Columbia; sun times from sunrisesunset.io; collision and Halloween figures from ICBC and the Richmond RCMP. This article is general information for people in British Columbia. It is not medical, legal or insurance advice.
