Guignard v. Hall, (2012) 408 N.B.R.(2d) 1 (TD)

• Judge: Léger, J.
• Court: Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick (Canada)
• Case Date: December 07, 2012
• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Citations: (2012), 408 N.B.R.(2d) 1 (TD);2013 NBQB 7

Guignard v. Hall (2012), 408 N.B.R.(2d) 1 (TD);

    408 R.N.-B.(2e) 1; 1058 A.P.R. 1

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Temp. Cite: [2013] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. SE.025

Renvoi temp.: [2013] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. SE.025

Michel Guignard (plaintiff) v. Brian Hall and Denis Hall (defendants)

(B/C/501/96; 2013 NBQB 7; 2013 NBBR 7)

Indexed As: Guignard v. Hall

Répertorié: Guignard v. Hall

New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench

Trial Division

Judicial District of Bathurst

Léger, J.

December 7, 2012.

Summary:

Résumé:

The plaintiff sued for damages from injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident in 1996. He was presently 44. The defendants admitted liability.

The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, allowed the action, awarding damages in a total of $1,105,362.

Damage Awards - Topic 54

Injury and death - Body injuries - Spleen - The plaintiff was a front seat passenger in a vehicle owned by the defendant Denis Hall and operated by the defendant Brian Hall - The plaintiff was seriously injured when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a telephone pole - The plaintiff suffered multiple injuries, including a fracture of the left scapula (shoulder blade), ribs fractures, fracture of the right femoral neck and a ruptured spleen, which required a splenectomy - The injuries were permanent and chronic in nature - The plaintiff had also been diagnosed with depression - Since the accident the plaintiff had been in constant pain by reason of his injuries - Despite efforts to return to gainful employment, the plaintiff had not been able to maintain employment - Prior to the accident, the plaintiff was a talented tattoo artist and had plans to open his own tattoo shop - He tried to return to school in order to upgrade his education so that he might be able to do something - That had not worked out - The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, awarded damages as follows: general damages $100,000; interest on general damages $65,190; past loss of income $230,500; interest on past loss of income $77,400; future loss of income $420,800; loss of valuable services $29,400; future loss of valuable services (reduced capacity of 10%) $42,500; massage therapy $50,700 and future cost of medication $88,872 for a total of $1,105,362 - See paragraphs 84 to 182.

Damage Awards - Topic 56

Injury and death - Body injuries - Chest (incl. lungs and ribs) - [See Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 57

Injury and death - Body injuries - Shoulder - [See Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 180

Injury and death - Neck injuries - Fracture - [See Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 491

Injury and death - General damage awards - Loss of valuable services - [See Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 492.1

Injury and death - General damage awards - Pretrial income loss - [See Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 493

Injury and death - General damage awards - Loss of prospective earnings - [See Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Torts - Topic 6610

Defences - Contributory negligence - Particular cases - Motor vehicle accidents - The plaintiff was a front seat passenger in a vehicle owned by the defendant Denis Hall and operated by the defendant Brian Hall - The plaintiff was seriously injured when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a telephone pole - He sued for damages - The defendants asserted that the plaintiff should bear some responsibility for his injuries due to his failure to wear a seatbelt - The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, rejected the assertion - The defendants had not provided sufficient evidence to prove on a balance of probabilities that the plaintiff was not wearing a seat belt - It was not sufficient to conclude that the plaintiff was not wearing a seat belt simply because he was ejected from the vehicle - To be successful, the defendants also bore the onus of establishing that the injuries would have been less severe had the plaintiff been wearing a properly fastened seat belt - The evidence was clearly insufficient to establish that the plaintiff's injuries would have been less severe had he been wearing a seat belt - The court was unconvinced by the evidence that any failure to wear a seat belt contributed to the injuries actually sustained by the plaintiff - In fact, the evidence satisfied the court that the injuries might have been worse - The defence of contributory negligence had to fail - See paragraphs 61 to 83.

Torts - Topic 6630

Defences - Contributory negligence - Particular cases - Failure to use safety equipment (incl. seat belts) - [See Torts - Topic 6610 ].

Délits civils - Cote 6610

Défenses - Négligence contributive - Cas particuliers - Accidents de véhicule à moteur - [Voir Torts - Topic 6610 ].

Délits civils - Cote 6630

Défenses - Négligence contributive - Cas particulières - Omission d'utiliser l'équipement de sécurité (y compris les ceintures de sécurité) - [Voir Torts - Topic 6630 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 54

Blessures et décès - Blessures corporelles - Rate - [Voir Damage Awards - Topic 54 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 56

Blessures et décès - Blessures au tronc - Thorax (y compris les poumons et les côtes) - [Voir Damages Awards - Topic 56 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 57

Blessures et décès - Blessures au tronc - Épaule - [Voir Damage Awards - Topic 57 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 180

Blessures et décès - Blessures au cou - Fracture - [Voir Damage Awards - Topic 180 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 491

Blessures et décès - Évaluation des dommages-intérêts généraux - Perte de services utiles - [Voir Damage Awards - Topic 491 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 492.1

Blessures et décès - Évaluation des dommages-intérêts généraux - Perte de revenus antérieure au procès - [Voir Damage Awards - Topic 492.1 ].

Évaluation des dommages-intérêts - Cote 493

Blessures et décès - Évaluation des dommages-intérêts généraux - Perte de revenus futurs - [Voir Damage Awards - Topic 493 ].

Cases Noticed:

Placzek v. Green, [2010] O.T.C. Uned. 2952 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 70].

Scott v. Renton et al. (1999), 215 N.B.R.(2d) 263; 551 A.P.R. 263 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 95].

Cleary v. McCluskey (2002), 252 N.B.R.(2d) 10; 658 A.P.R. 10; 2002 NBCA 45, refd to. [para. 97].

Frenette v. Audet (1988), 89 N.B.R.(2d) 306; 226 A.P.R. 306 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 140].

Hall v. Hebert, [1993] 2 S.C.R. 159; 152 N.R. 321; 26 B.C.A.C. 161; 44 W.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 144].

LeBreton v. LaRocque et al., [2000] N.B.R.(2d) (Supp.) No. 97; 2000 CanLII 20277 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 163].

Mandzuk v. Vieira and Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, [1988] 2 S.C.R. 650; 89 N.R. 394, refd to. [para. 174].

Jean v. Pêcheries Roger L. ltée et al. (2010), 354 N.B.R.(2d) 300; 913 A.P.R. 300 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 177].

Counsel:

Avocats:

Gordon Good and Luc Roy, for the plaintiff;

Yassin Choukri, Q.C., for the defendants.

This action was heard on November 14-18 and 21-25, 2011, by Léger, J., of the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, Judicial District of Bathurst, who delivered the following judgment on December 7, 2012.