The claimant appealed the Tribunal’s decision that the limitation period barred his IRB claim. He returned to work one day after the accident. The insurer denied the claim for IRBs at that point in May 2016. The claimant then went off work 16 months later and required hip surgery. He applied for IRBs in January 2019. The insurer argued that the May 2016 constituted a valid denial triggering the limitation period. The claimant argued that his IRB claim was not discoverable until he stopped working. The Court granted the appeal, agreeing with the claimant. The Court held that the Tribunal failed to take into account the discoverability principles set out in Tomec v. Economical, and that the denial of IRBs in May 2016 prior to the claimant’s stoppage of work was contrary to the consumer protection goals of the SABS.
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