Since 2010, Holness and Small Law Group has written over 1000 legal blog articles. We believe that staying informed and current with personal injury news and case developments is essential to providing proper legal services to our clients when advocating for their rights.
The NDP government introduced legislation that caps (limits) compensation payable by ICBC for pain and suffering for “minor injuries” suffered in motor vehicle accidents occurring on and after April 1, 2019. An injury will be defined as a “minor injury” if: It is included in the list of prescribed injuries; and It does not result…
Personal injury laws and regulations for self-driving cars are being tested in the first driverless car death in North America. The Vehicle Automation Report was released on November 5, 2019 by the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington , D.C. The conclusion is clear, the self-driving car was not smart enough to detect the pedestrian…
In the usual course, a driver who rear-ends another vehicle will be found at fault for the accident. It is only in exceptional circumstances that the driver who was rear ended will be liable such as when he/she made a sudden, unexpected and unexplained stop. In Bains v. Chatakanonda 2018 BCSC 2412, the claimant was…
Property Owner’s Duty of Care The Occupiers Liability Act establishes responsibility upon property owners and occupiers to ensure their premises are safe and free of hazards. It creates a duty of care which is summarized as follows: The duty of care is to take reasonable care in the circumstances to make the premises safe The…
The ICBC injury claimant was injured in a 2013 motor vehicle accident. The collision occurred in Burnaby at Nelson Avenue and Hazel Street when he was traveling straight and was hit by the defendant who was turning left from the opposite direction. At trial Christensen v. Jand 2018 BCSC 1294 , the experts agreed that…
The limits on experts and expert reports introduced February 11, 2019 have been set aside by the Supreme Court. Orders under Rule 11-8 are also of no force or effect. The Supreme Court struck down these arbitrary limits on expert evidence (Crowder v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2019 BCSC 1824). Attorney General David Eby was…
Tesla owners in Canada can now have their parked vehicle drive to them, without a human driver. The Smart Summon feature in the Model S allows retrieval of your vehicle by a single tap of the Tesla mobile app. This sounds astounding for snow and ice ravaged parking lots. However, consenting owners will still be…
Written by Ms. Jacqueline A. Small, B.A. LL.B. – A property owner owes a duty of care to workers carrying out construction work on the business or home. Home and business owners could be responsible for injuries suffered by workers not protected from risks and hazards. This includes falling injuries and slip and fall. Occupier’s Liability…
A very tragic motor vehicle accident occurred in Trail, BC when a young woman was killed after getting hit by a vehicle driven by an elderly driver. Despite having his driver’s licence revoked for being legally blind, he was a regular fixture in the community driving to and from Tim Hortons at the same time…
Written by Jacqueline A. Small, B.A. LL.B Restaurant liability for customer injuries can result in significant money awards. Failure to provide warning signs can result in monetary compensation to the injured. Poor maintenance will also expose the restaurant owner to liability. A restaurant owes a duty to take reasonable care that customers on its premises…