Teenage Personal Injury Claimant Awarded $45,000 for Pain and Suffering

ICBC injury claims can often involve valuing pain and suffering for children and teenagers. This personal injury claimant was a 9 years old passenger in the front seat of her mother’s minivan when another vehicle failed to yield the right of way and collided with her right front bumper(Toopitsin v. McMullen,2014 BCSC 1486). She claims…

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$400,000 Loss of Earning Capacity Award Plucked from Thin Air

An award for personal injury losses requires a trial judge, orally or in writing, to provide adequate reasons justifying the award. However this was not done in the following case, illustrating the real prejudice inadequate reasons can pose to innocent personal injury claimants. The injury claimant, riding as a front seat passenger had her feet hanging…

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Traumatic Brain Injury Results in $2.5 Million Award for Teenager

This Car accident brain injury award for an 18 year old passenger (Hermanson v. Durkee, 2014 BCSC 877) arose from a single vehicle accident on a forest road in British Columbia. The vehicle left the road  which resulting  in the ICBC claimant suffering a severe traumatic brain injury and ruptured spleen. Because of the location of the motor vehicle accident there…

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Increasing ICBC Injury Settlements and Court Awards- New Discount Rates

The best news in 33 years for ICBC claims and personal injury cases involving claims for future loss of earnings and costs of future care! The decrease in the discount rate for future loss announced April 30, 2014 means claimants can expect more money for awards and settlements for future losses. This better reflects the decrease in…

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Shoulder Injury Award to Mechanic for Loss of Earning Capacity

The court awarded more than $300,000.00 to this heavy duty mechanic that suffered  injuries in two car accidents (Hong v. Wagner,2014 BCSC 373). Despite  considerable concern surrounding the reliability and credibility of the claimant’s testimony the medical evidence established that the claimant has a permanent partial disability and will suffer from shoulder pain in the future.…

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Personal Injury Award Reduced as no Realistic Possibility of Loss

After a car accident injury there is a big difference between a loss that “may” occur in the future and one in which there is a “real possibility”.  Personal injury lawyers have long been trying to put some logic to this distinction and now the following  Court of Appeal case introduces “realistic possibility” (Kim v. Morier, 2014…

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Car Accident Victim Awarded Life Long Yoga Membership

Yoga therapy likely mitigated further loss for this personal injury claimant as the trial judge awards life long Yoga therapy. The  Court of Appeal upheld this $28,000 award for a yoga club membership as part of the cost of future care and $100,000 future wage loss award recognizing that the claimant was a high performing…

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Personal Injury Award Increased to $390,000 for Loss of Future Earnings

This stunning and important Court of Appeal decision increased a loss of future earning capacity award making it easier to predict court awards in personal injury cases(Jurczak v. Mauro,2013 BCCA 507). Changing the tide following  Perren v. Lalari, 2010 BCCA 140 the Court of Appeal appears to be embracing a more practical, mathematical and predictable approach…

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