The value of your claim will depend on a variety of factors unique to your claim, including who is at fault for your injuries, the kinds of injuries you’ve suffered, how long you are expected to suffer the effects of your injuries, and the way in which your injuries have affected your life and your employment. No two claims are the same, but there are general guidelines and rules of law that provide reference for the appropriate range of compensation for every individual claim.
In addition to the types of compensation discussed in this section, which are known as “tort” damages, and regardless of whether you are at fault for your injuries, you may be entitled to “no-fault benefits” from ICBC.
If your injuries are from a motor vehicle accident (mva) there is new legislation affecting “minor injury” mva claims where the actual accident date is on or after April 1, 2019. Please call our office and our legal team would be pleased to discuss your options.
Non-pecuniary or general damages are meant to compensate and injured person for the loss of ability to fully enjoy life to the same measure as before he or she was injured. Generally, factors that are considered are the type and severity of the injuries, the extent of pain a person has endured and/or will continue to endure as a result of the injuries, and the impact of the injuries on the person’s employment, recreational and day-to-day activities, psychological well-being and personal relationships. Non-pecuniary damages are so called because the appropriate amount of money for any particular person cannot be calculated by any precise or mathematical means. Instead, courts have established a range of damages that vary with the type of injuries and the way in which the injuries have affected the particular claimant’s life. In 1979 the Supreme Court of Canada established an arbitrary limit of $100,000 that could be awarded for the most serious and devastating of injuries. The limit, or cap for non-pecuniary damages increases each year with inflation, and currently is about $325,000.
An injured person is entitled to be compensated for the loss of any income that would have been earned up until the date of settlement or trial, as well as any income realistically expected to be lost in the future as a result of the injuries suffered. In some cases, a person is entitled to compensation for loss of income even if he or she was not working or employed at the time of injury. Compensation for loss of income may include the value of any lost benefits. In some cases, a person may have lost the opportunity for a promotion or change to a higher paying job. If proven, such a “loss of opportunity” is also recoverable.
A person injured by the fault of another person is entitled to recover any wages or salary lost if he or she cannot work due to the injuries suffered. Past loss of income is calculated from the date of loss until the conclusion of the claim by settlement or trial. If the person was injured in a motor vehicle accident, her or she is entitled to net loss of income (after tax income), and the amount is further reduced by any disability benefits paid by ICBC under Part 7 (“no-fault benefits”).
If a person can prove that his or her injuries are likely to result in loss of income past the settlement or trial date, he or she is entitled to compensation for loss of future income. Sometimes a person will be totally disabled for the remainder of his or her working life, and sometimes he or she might be only partially disabled, or disabled from only some types of work but capable of others. Courts generally view a person’s ability to work as a “capital asset,” the value of which varies depending on a person’s age, work history, education and other factors.
In some cases, a person’s future income loss can be calculated fairly easily with reference to the wage or salary earned at the time of injury, and sometimes the loss cannot be so easily calculated. If there is a “real and substantial possibility” that an injured person will lose income in the future, he or she is entitled to be compensated for that loss, even if a return to a full or part time occupation has been achieved. This type of income loss is referred to a “loss of earning capacity” and requires assessment of the value by which a person’s “capital asset” has been impaired. The means of measure is more arbitrary than mathematical and is considered on a case by case basis. Some of the factors a court will consider when assessing a loss of earning capacity are whether the injured person:
It is important when preparing a case for settlement or trial to have an accurate medical prognosis which can be the basis of assessment for future income loss. In more complex cases, your MacIsaac & Company lawyer also has access to expert economists, vocational and work capacity evaluators who can assist in developing and supporting your claim for loss of income.
Costs of Future Care
A person injured through the fault of another person is entitled to receive money to fund items and assistance necessary to improve or maintain the injured person’s physical and mental health. Future care costs may include such things as rehabilitation support services, physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, equipment and home alterations reasonably necessary to facilitate independence and mobility, medications, housekeeping services, yard maintenance and handyman services, psychological counselling, occupational therapy, nursing or in-home care services, child care, and educational or vocational support services.
Before you settle your claim, it is very important to have a long-term medical prognosis addressing the expected duration of accident related injuries and associated limitations, as well as recommendations from a qualified professional for future care needs over the long term. Where necessary, MacIsaac & Company can retain experts to provide recommendations for future care needs, and in more complex cases, the costs of the recommended items over the long term, or for life, if necessary.
If a person injured through the fault of another person is less able to perform their usual tasks in and around their home, they are entitled to compensation for their reduced capacity to perform those chores. Sometimes courts will recognize this loss by awarding a higher amount for non-pecuniary damages, and sometimes it will be included with costs of future care or special damages. However, loss of housekeeping capacity is sometimes considered a separate head of loss, and a specific amount will be awarded to compensate the injured person for their loss of ability to perform household tasks, even in cases where the person has not actually spent money to hire someone else to do those tasks.
When a family member such as a spouse or parent provides services to an injured relative, they may be entitled to compensation, even if the injured person did not pay for the services. The claim is made as part of the injured person’s claim for compensation “in trust” for the person who provided the services. Typically, the services will involve homemaking or nursing services above and beyond what would reasonably be expected from the family member who provided them. Generally, it must be demonstrated that the person who provided these “extraordinary services” experienced an economic loss (such as income loss) because of the time and effort spent providing the services, or that the person provided services for which the injured person would otherwise have incurred an expense, such as the hiring of a housekeeper, nurse or care attendant.
If you are injured and have benefited from the extraordinary services of family members, it is important to keep track of the time they spend in providing the services in order to support your claim for compensation on their behalf.
Special damages are expenses reasonably incurred through the fault of another person. If you’ve been injured in an accident for which someone else is at fault, you have probably incurred out-of-pocket expenses for things such as:
If the insurance company or your own extended benefits coverage does not cover these types of expenses, they are recoverable at the conclusion of your claim if they were reasonably incurred in relation to your accident and injuries. It is a good idea to work closely with your doctor and other health providers to determine appropriate means of treatment and rehabilitation. Usually, if you’ve incurred the expense following a physician’s advice, you will be able to recover the expense. It is also a good idea to carefully retain any receipts or invoices for out-of-pocket expenses.
115 – 19 Dallas Road
Victoria, BC - V8V 5A6
(Shoal Point at Fisherman’s Wharf)
+1 (250) 381-5353
email
200 - 190 Ingram Street
Duncan, BC - V9L 1P1
+1 (250) 746-4422
email
By appointment only
+1 (250) 334-3110
email
LARRY MCCREA LAW CORPORATION
Address
#3 – 95B Highway 97
100 Mile House, BC V0K 2E0
Phone 250-395-1151 / Fax 250-395-1153
office@lmccrea.com
www.lmccrea.com
MACISAAC & COMPANY
Address
By appointment only
Courtenay, BC
Phone (250) 334-3110 / Fax (250) 334-3108
courtenay@macisaacandcompany.com
STASIUK & COMPANY
Address
201 – 10300 – 10th Street
Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 3T6
Phone 250-782-5297 / Fax 250-782-7746
stasiukreception@neonet.bc.ca
Address
200 – 190 Ingram Street
Duncan, B.C. V9L 1P1
Phone (250) 746-4422 / Fax (250) 746-1811
macduncan@macisaacgroup.com
BUCKLEY & COMPANY
By appointment only
Phone 250-372-1404
shawn@buckleyandco.ca
buckleyandco.ca
KIMMITT WRZESNIEWSKI
Address
202 – 1433 St. Paul Street
Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 2E4
Phone (250) 763-6441 / Fax (250) 763-1633
info@kimmitt.ca
kimmitt.ca
By Appointment Only
Call Toll Free 1-800-663-6299
Or email info@macisaacgroup.com
CHRISTOPHER H. JOHNSTON LAW CORPORATION
Address
208 Broadway
Nakusp, B.C. V0G 1R0
Phone (250) 265-0108 / Fax (250) 837-7194
info@nakusplawyer.com
www.nakusplawyer.com
NOWOSAD & COMPANY
Address
8700 Market Street
PO Box 1289
Port Hardy, BC, V0N 2P0
Phone (250) 949-6031 / Fax (250) 949-2633
nowosad1@telus.net
NOWOSAD & COMPANY
Address
Box 308, 1750 Campbell Way
Port McNeill, B.C. V0N 2R0
Phone (250) 956-3228 / Fax (250) 949-2633
nowosad1@telus.net
BVD LAW CORPORATION
Address
450 Vancouver Street Prince George, BC V2L 5N2
Phone (250) 614-1283 / Fax (250) 614-1284
bvdlaw@telus.net
RODWAY & PERRY
Address
1 – 699 Beach Road
P.O. Box 138, Station Main
Qualicum Beach, B.C. V9K 1S7
Phone (250) 752-9526 / Fax (250) 752-9521
rodwayandperry@shaw.ca
GARY LILIENWEISS
Address
342 Kinchant Street
Quesnel, BC V2J 2R4
Phone 250.992.9090 / Fax 250.992.9779
garyjl@telus.net
ARROW LAW CORPORATION
Address
202 First Street East (beside The Cabin)
P.O. Box 2639
Revelstoke, B.C. V0E 2S0
Phone (250) 837-6171 / Fax (250) 837-7194
info@revelstokelawyer.com
www.revelstokelawyer.com
VERDURMEN AND COMPANY
Address
450 Lakeshore Drive
P.O. Box 826
Salmon Arm, BC, V1E 4N9
Phone (250) 833-0914 / Fax (250) 833-0924
vlex@telus.net
RALSTON AND ASSOCIATES
Address
606 – 15216 North Bluff Road
White Rock, BC, V4B 0A9
Phone 604-581-0807 / Fax 604-581-0809
stephen.h@ralstonandassociates.ca
ralstonandassociates.ca
By Appointment Only
Call Toll Free 1-800-663-6299
Or email info@macisaacgroup.com
By Appointment Only
Call Toll Free 1-800-663-6299
Or email info@macisaacgroup.com
BUCKLEY AND COMPANY
By appointment only
Phone 250-372-1404
shawn@buckleyandco.ca
buckleyandco.ca
Address
115 – 19 Dallas Road
Victoria, BC, V8V 5A6
Phone (250) 381-5353 / Fax (250) 380-7272
victoria@macisaacandcompany.com
BUCKLEY AND COMPANY
By appointment only
Phone 250-372-1404
shawn@buckleyandco.ca
buckleyandco.ca
SIRRS LLP
Address
PO Box 6060, 5220 51st Avenue
Wetaskiwin, Alberta T9A 2G3
Phone (780) 352-3301 / Fax (780) 352-5976
mail@sirrsllp.com
sirrsllp.com
SIRRS LLP
Address
5034 – 49 Avenue
PO Box 4546
Ponoka, Alberta T4J 1E1
Phone (403) 783-6021 / Fax (403) 783-8363
mail@sirrsllp.com
www.sirrsllp.com
SIRRS LLP
Address
4714 – 50 Avenue
Rimbey, Alberta
Phone (403) 843-6986 / Fax (403) 843-3799
mail@sirrsllp.com
www.sirrsllp.com