Winnipeg man in 'exhausting' fight with MPI over wheelchair, medication coverage after near-fatal crash
Decisions 'made based on information received from various health-care and medical experts': public insurer
A Winnipeg man says Manitoba Public Insurance is refusing to cover the costs of required equipment and prescriptions for his recovery after he was nearly killed in a collision last summer.
Dan Leveille and his wife said they are spending thousands of dollars a month for his treatment and recovery care, which they say should be covered by the Crown corporation.
"It's hard," Leveille said. "The battle to get the help that I need, that we need, has caused an inordinate amount of stress for all of us. It's a huge strain."
On June 14, 2023, Leveille was driving his motorcycle to work down Talbot Avenue when a minivan that police say was driven by a drunk driver cut him off.
Leveille was thrown from his bike and smashed into the van's windshield before landing metres away on the concrete.
The impact was so intense, his helmet flew off.
"All I remember is impact," he said. "You just feel physical force — and then I don't remember anything else."
The driver of the minivan originally fled the scene, but was arrested shortly after the crash, police said in a news release.
The man, 22 years old at the time, was charged with several offences, including impaired driving causing bodily harm, and is expected to be in court on the charges in July.
Leveille spent 12 days in the intensive care unit after the crash and required several surgeries.
"It was a very scary time, not knowing what condition he was in because he was taken to … life-saving surgeries just to stabilize him," said his wife, Tobi.
His injuries included vertebrae and pelvis fractures, a sheared sacrum and a ruptured rectum, along with several broken bones.
He spent eight months in the hospital, including five during which he couldn't get out of bed.
"It's hard being away from home," he said through tears. "It was a sentence that I didn't deserve."
Rehabilitation, physiotherapy
While Leveille has been told he will likely never make a full recovery, rehabilitation and physiotherapy are essential to getting him as close as possible.
Tobi said he was forced to spend an extra 10 days in hospital because the public insurer hadn't made arrangements to outfit their home with the equipment he would need.
"I feel let down. I also feel further victimized to be honest with you," she said. "I'm also just really in shock because we all pay our MPI premiums and we were told that we will be covered."
She said they were given the impression that everything her husband needed would be taken care of, but that hasn't been the case. They have been left having to fight for everything, said Tobi, including a power wheelchair they've been told is necessary.
"It really is exhausting," she said. "We're paying out of pocket for the power wheelchair because MPI says it's not necessary, even though we've had a doctor, more than one doctor … all say that it's required."
The couple got an email from an MPI occupational therapist saying the power chair and a platform lift were not approved "as the claimant is able to climb stairs and utilize a manual chair." However, the email said the need for an electric wheelchair may be re-evaluated.
Leveille also requires a bed that has railings and a special mattress that elevates.
His wife has become his main advocate and caregiver. He can't go up the stairs by himself and can only walk a very short distance on his own.
She said MPI is also refusing to cover the costs of her husband's medications.
"A doctor has written this prescription. Who are these people to question the doctor?" she said.
"It's terrible. You just feel helpless."
Leveille said fighting the insurance company is taking a toll on his physical and mental well-being.
"[This] has been a battle that … my family and I shouldn't have to be fighting," he said. "I should be able to be focused just on rehabilitation."
While Tobi said she is grateful her husband is alive and not paralyzed, she's also angry — and not just with the alleged drunk driver.
"Now I'm mad that we are being re-victimized by MPI [for] simply needing things."
Benefits defined by legislation: MPI
Manitoba Public Insurance said it cannot discuss details related to individual claims, but said benefits are legislated and administered in accordance with the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act and its regulations.
Decisions on benefits under Manitoba's Personal Injury Protection Plan "are made based on information received from various health-care and medical experts," communications manager Kristy Rydz said in an email statement.
A team of independent medical professionals reviews materials, she said.
Many prescription medications are covered, but there are "specific protocols around certain medications to ensure they are used safely and effectively," the MPI spokesperson said.
Customers who disagree with decisions have appeal options, including to the Automobile Injury Compensation Appeal Commission, whose decisions are binding, MPI's statement said.
WATCH | How Leveille copes with his injuries at home:
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