The tort of assault involves the intentional creation of the apprehension of immediate harmful or offensive conduct but no actual touching. A battery occurs whenever unlawful force is intentionally inflicted on another person that is either physically harmful or offensive to his reasonable sense of dignity. The main difference between assault and battery is that…
If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident in the US and the negligent driver was driving a vehicle with US licence plates, ICBC will not be involved in the tort injury claim even if your automobile insurance was with ICBC. There is an exception, however, to this general rule. You may pursue…
In a previous blog article, we discussed what happens if you make a formal offer to settle to ICBC prior to trial and you beat that offer in that you are awarded the same or more than this offer by the judge. But what happens if ICBC makes a formal offer to settle and you…
Medical malpractice claims are very complex and inherently expensive due to the expert evidence needed to prove negligence against a doctor. The reason why medical malpractice claims are expensive is because of the expert evidence needed to successfully prove that a doctor’s negligence and the injuries caused by that negligence. In this regard, most medical…
Personal injury cases with time limits falling after March 26, 2020 have been stalled by COVID-19. Car accidents, ICBC injury claims, slip and falls, medical malpractice and other civil claim limitations will be in large part suspended due to the pandemic. However, the Supreme Court Registry confirmed with us today that they are still accepting…
The NDP have rolled out new ICBC policies including new Enhanced Care coverage. This “care based model” is advertised by the NDP as providing British Columbians with increased care such as payment for treatment ongoing indefinitely into the future despite settlement or judgement at trial. The NDP and David Eby are asking us to trust…
If you are injured because of a slip and fall on ice on private property, you may have an injury claim against the occupier of the property for breaching the duty of care for failing to keep the area reasonably safe from hazards (ice). Who the occupier is will depend on the circumstances. An occupier…
Occupier’s liability in British Columbia imposes a duty on occupiers to take reasonable care that users of their premises are reasonably safe. This duty of care can be limited and excluded by an occupier in certain circumstances such as through releases and waivers of liability which are often required as a condition of participating in…
As I have written in previous articles, cycling as a primary mode of transportation is increasing in popularity in urban settings especially in Vancouver. While there are a number of dedicated bike lanes, the number of streets without dedicated bike lanes far outweigh the number of streets with them. Section 183 of the Motor Vehicle…
There are a number of challenges in proving causation against a doctor. Medicine is often described as an art, not a science, because it is imprecise and unpredictable. Diagnostic procedures and tests can often be imperfect. Patients may present with confusing or inconsistent signs and symptoms. Treatments often carry risk of poor outcomes or side…