Harbora v. McIvor et al., (1997) 202 A.R. 99 (QB)

• Judge: Binder, J.
• Court: Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta (Canada)
• Case Date: April 22, 1997
• Citations: (1997), 202 A.R. 99 (QB)

Harbora v. McIvor (1997), 202 A.R. 99 (QB)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [1997] A.R. TBEd. MY.011

Denise Harbora and Mitchell J. Harbora (plaintiffs) v. Ronald P. McIvor and Ty-Rae Holdings Ltd. (defendants)

(Action No: 9103-23841)

Indexed As: Harbora v. McIvor et al.

Alberta Court of Queen's Bench

Judicial District of Edmonton

Binder, J.

April 22, 1997.

Summary:

The plaintiff was a passenger in a station­ary vehicle which was "rear-ended" by a tractor-trailer. The defendant admitted lia­bility. At issue was whether the rear-ending was the cause or more than minimally con­tributed to the injuries the plaintiff alleged she incurred resulting from the accident.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench de­termined that the rear-ending more than minimally contributed to the plaintiff's injuries and assessed damages accordingly.

Damage Awards - Topic 11

Injury and death - General - Continuing pain (incl. chronic pain syndrome) - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 57

Injury and death - Body injuries - Shoulder (incl. rotator cuff) - [See Dam­age Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 59

Injury and death - Body injuries - Pelvis and pubic bones (incl. hip and urinary tract) - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 66

Injury and death - Body injuries - Back - General - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 108

Injury and death - Head injuries - Head­aches - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 111

Injury and death - Head injuries - Jaw - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 150

Injury and death - Multiple injuries - Gen­eral - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damage Awards - Topic 178

Injury and death - Neck injuries - Whip­lash - The plaintiff was a passenger in a stationary vehicle that was rear-ended - The plaintiff sued the defendant for dam­ages, alleging that she suffered headaches and pain to her neck, upper and lower back, shoulder and hip of a chronic nature, as well as injury and pain to her jaw - In assessing damages, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench noted that the plaintiff's makeup or personality prior to the accident was such that she coped with stress by replacing or converting it into physical complaints such as headaches, shoulder back and hip problems with accompanying pain and discomfort which was "manifest - that is it was patent rather than latent", prior to the accident - The court awarded the plaintiff $40,000 general damages.

Damage Awards - Topic 493

Injury and death - General damage awards - Loss of prospective earnings - The plain­tiff was a passenger in a stationary vehicle that was rear-ended - The plaintiff sued the defendant for damages - She alleged that as a result of her injuries (including head­aches and pain to her neck, upper and lower back, shoulder and hip of a chronic nature, as well as injury and pain to her jaw) she had to terminate her em­ployment - In declining to award the plaintiff dam­ages for future loss of wages, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench con­cluded that the plaintiff terminated her employment not because of her injuries, but because of the demands of travel and the pressure to deliver - See paragraph 62.

Damage Awards - Topic 495

Injury and death - General damage awards - Loss of housekeeping capacity - The plaintiff suffered injuries in a motor vehicle accident which left her unable to perform all but very light housework - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench awarded the plaintiff $3,500 for loss of house­keeping capacity after accounting for the plaintiff's pre-existing condition and her failure to mitigate - See paragraph 68.

Damages - Topic 591

Limits of compensatory damages - Predis­position to damage - "Thin skull" or "crumbling skull" - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench discussed the application of the thin skull rules to a plaintiff in a per­sonal injury action - See paragraph 55.

Damages - Topic 595

Limits of compensatory damages - Predis­position to damage - Personal injury - Victim's mental condition - [ See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damages - Topic 596

Limits of compensatory damages - Predis­position to damage - Personal injury - Victim's physical condition - [See Damage Awards - Topic 178 ].

Damages - Topic 1536

General damages - Elements of general damages - Loss or impairment of house­keeping capacity - [See Damage Awards - Topic 495].

Torts - Topic 51

Negligence - Causation - General prin­ciples - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench discussed causation in personal injury cases - See paragraph 55.

Torts - Topic 54

Negligence - Causation - "But for" test - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench stated that the "general test for causation is the 'but for' test, that is - the injury would not have occurred 'but for' the negligence of the tortfeasor/defendant. However, when the 'but for' test is unworkable, causation is nevertheless established where the tort­feasor's/defendant's negligence more than minimally contributed to the injury" - See paragraph 55.

Torts - Topic 65

Negligence - Causation - Evidence - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench noted that "'[c]ausation need not be determined by scientific precision ... it is essentially a practical question of fact which can be best answered by ordinary common sense '. ... I interpret 'ordinary common sense' when used in the above context of caus­ation as simply meaning that judicial notice may be taken, where in applying one's knowledge gained from every day ordinary experi­ence, which is commonly known (notori­ous) and sensible (not dis­putable), one is able to come to a con­clusion (fact) based on that experience, without the requirement of a precise scien­tific explanation" - See paragraph 55.

Cases Noticed:

Athey v. Leonati et al., [1996] 3 S.C.R. 458; 203 N.R. 36; 81 B.C.A.C. 243; 132 W.A.C. 243, refd to. [para. 4].

Phillips v. Rost (1996), 185 A.R. 241 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Watkins v. Olafson et al., [1989] 2 S.C.R. 750; 100 N.R. 161; 61 Man.R.(2d) 81; 61 D.L.R.(4th) 577; [1989] 6 W.W.R. 481; 39 B.C.L.R.(2d) 294; 50 C.C.L.T. 101, refd to. [para. 55].

Poirier v. Wood et al. (1995), 166 A.R. 288 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Regehr v. Nagle (1993), 138 A.R. 229 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Korpela v. March (1993), 138 A.R. 179 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Gilchrist v. Oatway (1995), 168 A.R. 56 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

D'Amato et al. v. Badger et al., [1996] 2 S.C.R. 1071; 199 N.R. 341; 79 B.C.A.C. 110; 129 W.A.C. 110, refd to. [para. 55].

Pallos v. Insurance Corp. of British Co­lumbia (1995), 53 B.C.A.C. 310; 87 W.A.C. 310 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 55].

National Insurnace Co. of New Zealand v. Espagne (1961), 105 C.L.R. 569, refd to. [para. 55].

Mackie v. Wolfe (1994), 153 A.R. 81 (Q.B.), affd. (1996), 184 A.R. 339; 122 W.A.C. 339 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 55].

Cox v. Joyal et al. (1996), 182 A.R. 244 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Youssef v. Pickerl (1996), 190 A.R. 241 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Bell v. Tilden Car Rental Inc., [1996] A.J. No. 892 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 55].

Jacques v. Passey and Calgary (City) (1995), 177 A.R. 178 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Martorana v. Lee (1994), 150 A.R. 167 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Couillard and Labutis v. Waschulewski Estate (1988), 87 A.R. 161 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Lum-Kam v. Semotiuk (1994), 151 A.R. 138 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Logozar v. Golder (1992), 136 A.R. 363 (Q.B.), affd. (1994), 157 A.R. 102; 77 W.A.C. 102 (C.A.), leave denied [1994] S.C.C.A. No. 476, refd to. [para. 55].

Fox v. Benko (1993), 140 A.R. 62 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

McLaren v. Schwalbe (1994), 148 A.R. 1 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Acheson v. Dory (1993), 138 A.R. 241 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Bee v. Sutherland (1996), 186 A.R. 8 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Danks v. Wouterse-Balko (1996), 189 A.R. 224 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Jando v. Kung (1994), 25 Alta. L.R.(3d) 84 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Simpson v. Bender et al. (1995), 176 A.R. 34 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Longmuir v. Parsons, [1988] O.J. No. 174 (H.C.), refd to. [para. 55].

Smith v. McNabb (1993), 146 A.R. 309 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Boyko v. Penstone (1995), 59 B.C.A.C. 87; 98 W.A.C. 87; 6 B.C.L.R.(3d) 248 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 55].

Jessal v. Maxwell (1995), 167 A.R. 258 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Simmie v. Parker and Unger (1994), 164 A.R. 178 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Martin v. Jordan (1988), 31 B.C.L.R.(2d) 266 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 55].

Andrews et al. v. Grand & Toy (Alberta) Ltd. et al., [1978] 2 S.C.R. 229; 19 N.R. 50; 8 A.R. 182; 83 D.L.R.(3d) 452; [1978] 1 W.W.R. 577; 3 C.C.L.T. 225, refd to. [para. 55].

Herold v. MacElwain (1997), 199 A.R. 115 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Levesque v. Comeau, [1970] S.C.R. 1010, refd to. [para. 55].

Davies v. Chouinard (1995), 166 A.R. 363 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 55].

Pryor v. Bains (1986), 69 B.C.L.R. 395 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 55].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Klar, Linden, Cherniak, Krywocuk, Rem­edies in Tort, vol. 4, pp. 27-82 to 27-84 [para. 55].

Paciocco, D., Judicial Notice: Potential and Abbreviated Pitfalls, paper (1997), gen­erally [para. 55].

Counsel:

T. Van Vliet (St. Pierre and Van Vliet), for the plaintiffs;

J.L. Cairns (Parlee McLaws), for the de­fendants.

This case was heard at Edmonton, Alberta, before Binder, J., of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, Judicial District of Edmonton, who delivered the following decision on April 22, 1997.