Renn A. Holness is a gifted lawyer and author to over 1000 legal blog articles. Married father of two daughters, son of a neurosurgeon and founder of Holness and Small Law Group

No Mistrial for Withdrawn Violation Ticket Presented to Jury

The personal injury claimant was turning left at a dedicated left-turn lane in order to enter the parking lot of Kensington Square Shopping Centre on East Hastings Street in Burnaby, B.C. and collided with another vehicle travelling eastbound on East Hastings Street (Jones v. Frohlick,2018 BCCA 170). He suffered a displaced fracture of the sternum, and injuries…

Government Monopoly on Car Insurance Expanded-No Lawyer for you!

ICBC Personal injury caps, wiping out fundamental principles of fairness and compensation. ICBC and the current NDP are poised to extinguish the rights of all British Columbian’s injured in a car accident. On May 5, 2018 there was a large community rally outside the Surrey office of MLA Jinny Sims opposing the introduction of injury…

Reporting after a Car Accident

This is what you need to do for an accident in British Columbia, a province with an automobile compensation scheme different than any other legal jurisdiction in the world. We have a combined no fault and tort based system for automobile insurance and compensation. You will therefore be responsible for several deadlines in both claims. For ICBC accident benefits…

$175,000 ICBC Offer Rejected and Court Awards $174,360 plus Costs

An offer to settle in any personal injury case should be clear and unambiguous. The claimant and ICBC should use plain language when settling car accident cases. The offer  of settlement should avoid colloquialisms or idioms that are understood by a limited audience. In today’s case review an ICBC insured sought to deny an injury…

Second Medical Examination Refused but Appeal Granted

The personal injury claim involved a motor vehicle accident in which the defendant denied liability. The injury claimant alleges various soft tissue injuries and neurological or psychological injuries and was seen by one doctor for the defendant. The defendant was denied a request for a second medical examination.(Tran v. Abbott, 2018 BCCA 154) In allowing the…

Chronic Psychiatric to be coined “Minor Injury” deserving $5,500 in NDP Injury Cap Scheme

The new NDP injury cap legislation degrades chronic psychiatric conditions to “minor injuries” and leaves claimants without a legal advocate. This change tramples on individual rights and its only aim is saving ICBC from elimination. The vulnerable, the innocent that develop chronic illnesses due to car accidents will be offered a maximum one time payment of…

City Failed to use Best Efforts to Fix Hazard Liable for Injury

This was an appeal by the City of Salmon Arm from a finding of negligence for injuries suffered when the claimant tripped over the metal base of a broken traffic sign that was protruding from a sidewalk. The judge concluded the City breached the standard of care in not locating and repairing the sign before the incident. The injury…

$200,000 Award for Carbon Monoxide Brain Injury

 This husband and wife suffered brain injuries from carbon monoxide (“CO”) emissions when maintenance of their living room fireplace was negligently performed. The fireplace had been removed and later reinstalled and serviced by the defendant heating company (Edwards v. Parkinson’s Heating Ltd.,2018 BCSC 593).  The wife was awarded $50,000 and the husband $200,000 for the pain, suffering and…