Waterloo, Ont. woman out thousands after car totalled in hit-and-run

A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in. Lee Lachapelle was woken up around 11 p.m. on June 9 when a neighbour rang her door bell.

“My neighbour asked me ‘You own the Dodge Journey, right?’ and I said ‘Yeah,’” she explained. “He said ‘You might want to come out to the road. It’s been hit.’”

When she walked out, she saw her white van totalled.

Waterloo regional police confirm a stolen car crashed into Lachapelle’s van, which then smashed into the vehicle parked behind hers.

“My front end was completely crushed when they pulled the Mercedes off,” she said. “My battery was on the ground. It had pushed [my car] I’d say a good 15 or 20 feet.”

Lachapelle and others in her neighbourhood had been parking on Mayfield Avenue due to construction happening on her street, Quickfall Drive.

In a statement, the City of Waterloo said the crash is unfortunate.

“During road reconstruction, we do our best to maintain access to properties as much as possible, but there are times when residential access can’t be maintained,” the city said.

“We have been following the usual road construction parking practices for Langford Place and Quickfall Drive, although having only one entrance for cul-de-sac projects is more challenging. Access during the evening or on weekends unfortunately can’t be guaranteed.”

Insurance efforts

Lachapelle assumed her insurance through Echelon would cover all the associated costs from the crash, including the $21,000 she still owed on the vehicle, a rental car and eventually a new vehicle.

Instead, she said they offered her about $14,000 and nine days with a rental.

“I kept saying ‘No, this is not acceptable’ and so on and so forth. They told me ‘Well, it’s a hit-and-run and nobody’s been caught, so that’s all you get. You get the retail value of the car on today’s market,’” Lachapelle said.

She eventually took the $14,000. She’s still left with $7,000 owed on the totalled car, costs for additional days with a rental and now a new vehicle she’s purchased.

“If this hadn’t happened in the first place, I wouldn’t now be $38,000 in debt,” she said, adding that she’s gotten by with a lot of support from good friends.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) said unfortunately, this payout method is the standard.

“An insurance company will pay you no more than the car’s actually worth,” Anne Marie Thomas, director of consumer and industry relations with the IBC said. “You’re probably not going to find a year, make and model of her vehicle on AutoTrader or another used car site or a used car lot that sells it for the same value as her loan.”

Because it was a hit-and-run, Lachappelle is on the hook for more than she would be if the driver had been identified.

“Even though it wasn’t her fault, a hit and run is paid out under the collision section of your policy. Therefore, you have to pay the deductible,” she said. “In Ontario, if you get into an accident with someone and it’s not your fault, as long as the other drive is identified and insured, your insurance company will pay out under the direct compensation section of your policy. That has no deductible.”

She added that if the hit and run driver is caught, it’s possible Lachappelle could get her deductible back.

“Because this driver was not identified and therefore can’t validate insurance, the only coverage available to pay this claim out of is the collision which is subject to a deductible. It’s the only time a not-at-fault accident is oftentimes having the deductible applied.”

Thomas said cases like this offer a reminder for every driver to check their insurance policy regularly to know what’s covered. She acknowledged the mental toll this situation would take on any car owner.

“To replace it, it’s stressful 100 per cent. But at the end of the day, no matter how much that car is worth to us, dollar for dollar emotions are taken out of it at claim time,” Thomas said.

In a statement, Echelon said it cannot discuss the details of claims due to privacy.

“Echelon works with our brokers to ensure that insurance coverage is explained clearly at the point of purchase,” the statement said.

“Every claim that is reported at Echelon is handled with due diligence and care, with our insureds’ safety as our top priority.”

On Monday, Lachapelle filed a court case against Echelon in hopes of getting back what she has lost from this situation. She said she also lost her new job near Stratford because she’s been coping with the aftermath and has had times when she was without a vehicle.

She’s sharing her story in hopes of letting others know it could happen to anyone.

“Nobody is taking responsibility and people need to know this,” she said. “People need to know don’t give up the fight.”