Free guide
What to Do in the First 7 Days After a BC Car Crash
A printable, plain-English checklist for ICBC, your GP, your boss, and your body. Written by the physios who treat crash injuries every week at our North Vancouver clinic.
- Day-by-day actions for the first week after impact
- How to file your ICBC claim in under 15 minutes
- Which symptoms mean "see a doctor today" vs. "book a physio this week"
- What ICBC actually covers under Enhanced Care (12 weeks, no upfront cost)
- The two biggest mistakes that delay recovery — and how to avoid them
What to do in the first 7 days after a BC car crash
The decisions you make in the first week after an ICBC crash affect how quickly you recover and how smoothly your claim runs. Below is the clinical and administrative framework we walk every new crash patient through at our North Vancouver clinic. The full checklist is in the guide above.
Day 1–2: Report the crash and get seen
Report the crash to ICBC within 24 hours at icbc.com or by phone. You will receive a claim number — write it down, you'll need it for every appointment. Under ICBC Enhanced Care (BC's no-fault system), you do not need to establish fault to access treatment. Your coverage starts from the moment of the crash.
See a doctor or go to urgent care if you have: loss of consciousness, numbness or weakness in your arms or legs, blurred vision or severe headache, or difficulty swallowing. These symptoms need same-day medical evaluation. For everything else — neck stiffness, back soreness, shoulder pain, aching — a physiotherapy assessment in the first few days is appropriate and ICBC-covered.
Day 2–5: Book physiotherapy
You do not need a doctor's referral to book physiotherapy under ICBC. Call the clinic directly with your claim number and date of injury. ICBC Enhanced Care pre-approves up to 25 physiotherapy sessions in the first 12 weeks — we confirm your coverage before your first appointment and bill ICBC directly. You pay nothing upfront.
Early physiotherapy is associated with faster recovery from whiplash, low back pain, and post-crash concussion. Waiting more than two weeks to start treatment extends recovery timelines in most soft-tissue crash presentations.
The two mistakes that stall most recoveries
Mistake 1: Complete rest. Soft-tissue injuries after a crash heal through controlled movement, not immobility. The PEACE & LOVE framework that replaced RICE specifically addresses this — protect briefly, then load progressively. Sitting still for weeks is the single most reliable way to extend a whiplash recovery from 6 weeks to 6 months.
Mistake 2: Waiting to see if it gets better on its own. Symptoms that are minor on day 3 often plateau or worsen by day 10 without treatment. The ICBC pre-approval window is 12 weeks — starting late compresses the treatment window and reduces what we can accomplish before the review period. The guide covers what to do if symptoms persist past 12 weeks and how to apply for an extension.
What ICBC Enhanced Care covers
Under Enhanced Care, you can access physiotherapy, RMT massage, kinesiology, acupuncture, and chiropractic from any pre-approved BC provider. You can use more than one provider simultaneously. Full details are on our What ICBC Covers page. The guide includes a printable coverage summary you can bring to your first appointment.
Download the full 8-page checklist above, or book your first ICBC session at our North Vancouver clinic now — bring your claim number and we handle the rest.