Here are two British Columbia ICBC case examples to help understand how to value an award for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life for children injured in a car accident suffering neck, shoulders and back injury, PTSD, and severe anxiety.
$40,000.00 2014 BCSC 262 (B.C. S.C.)- The infant plaintiff,10 years old at the time of the accident, developed tension and pain in his back, shoulder and neck as well as headaches and a psychological injury which included nervous tension in traffic and nightmares. The trial judge awarded him $40,000 for non-pecuniary damages.
$50,000.00 2014 BCSC 1371- The infant plaintiff experienced a frightening car accident when she was seven years of age and suffered pronounced psychological injuries (PTSD and anxiety) in its aftermath. They affected her ability to travel comfortably by car. While that difficulty appears to have resolved, it is only due to the child’s hard work with counsellors and a degree of stoicism. The accident caused her frequent nightmares for the first year or so after the accident and intermittent ones thereafter. It caused her to have a fear of loud noises which hampered her ability to fully participate with her classmates in school field trips because she was afraid of getting on the bus. She never returned to ballet, an activity which she enjoyed before the accident.
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