Humble v. Murphy, (2015) 432 N.B.R.(2d) 176 (TD)
Judge | Garnett, J. |
Court | Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick (Canada) |
Case Date | February 27, 2015 |
Jurisdiction | New Brunswick |
Citations | (2015), 432 N.B.R.(2d) 176 (TD);2015 NBQB 58 |
Humble v. Murphy (2015), 432 N.B.R.(2d) 176 (TD);
432 R.N.-B.(2e) 176; 1128 A.P.R. 176
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Temp. Cite: [2015] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. MR.004
Renvoi temp.: [2015] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. MR.004
Rebecca Pearl Humble by Her Litigation Guardian, James Mockler (plaintiff) v. Kathleen Murphy (defendant) and Terri Humble (third party)
(F/C/361/04; 2015 NBQB 58; 2015 NBBR 58)
Indexed As: Humble v. Murphy
Répertorié: Humble v. Murphy
New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench
Trial Division
Judicial District of Fredericton
Garnett, J.
February 27, 2015.
Summary:
Résumé:
The plaintiff rode her bicycle across a highway and collided with a motor vehicle driven by the defendant. The plaintiff was 11 days short of her ninth birthday on the date of the accident. The defendant denied any negligence. In the alternative, the defendant said that the plaintiff was contributorily negligent and the plaintiff's mother was also contributorily negligent in failing to properly supervise her. The issues of liability and damages were severed. The trial dealt with the issue of liability only.
The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, held that the plaintiff's mother was not negligent, that the defendant was negligent, and that the plaintiff was incapable of being contributorily negligent notwithstanding that her conduct was a cause of the accident. The defendant was therefore liable for the whole of the damages.
Torts - Topic 20
Negligence - Standard of care - Child - Expected of - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 352
Negligence - Motor vehicle - Pedestrians and bicyclists - On highway - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 359
Negligence - Motor vehicle, pedestrians and bicyclists - Children on highway and streets - The plaintiff, who was 11 days short of her ninth birthday, rode her bicycle across a highway and collided with a motor vehicle driven by the defendant - The defendant denied any negligence - In the alternative, the defendant said that the plaintiff was contributorily negligent and the plaintiff's mother was also contributorily negligent in failing to properly supervise her - The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, held that the plaintiff's mother was not negligent - The plaintiff's mother had taught the plaintiff the rules and repeated them frequently - It was reasonable for her to grant the plaintiff permission to go across the street - The court found that the defendant was negligent - The plaintiff could be seen for at least 70 meters before the crash - Nevertheless, the defendant did not see her - Either the defendant was not looking or she was driving faster than she estimated or both - In either case, her conduct amounted to negligence which contributed to the accident - The plaintiff's conduct also contributed to the cause of the accident - However, children of "tender age" were totally immune from liability - The plaintiff was significantly behind other nine year olds - Her abilities were more like that of a six year old - She did not have the capacity to think ahead and assess a risk and even though she had been warned of the dangers she did not have the capacity to retain the warning and act on it - In short, notwithstanding the fact that the plaintiff's conduct contributed to the accident, because of her special circumstances she was immune from liability - The defendant was therefore liable for the whole of the damages.
Torts - Topic 362
Negligence - Motor vehicle - Pedestrians and bicyclists - Contributory negligence of - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 392
Negligence - Motor vehicle - Standard of care of driver - Respecting pedestrians and bicyclists - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 395
Negligence - Motor vehicle - Standard of care of driver - Duty to pay attention - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 6612
Defences - Contributory negligence - Particular cases - Respecting children - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 6618
Defences - Contributory negligence - Particular cases - For failure of parents to control children - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 8904
Duty of care - Particular relationships - Control of conduct of others - Parental control of children - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Torts - Topic 8906
Duty of care - Particular relationships - Control of conduct of others - Care of children - [See Torts - Topic 359 ].
Délits civils - Cote 20
Négligence - Norme de conduite - Enfant - Attentes - [Voir Torts - Topic 20 ].
Délits civils - Cote 352
Négligence - Véhicule à moteur - Piétons et cyclistes - Sur la route - [Voir Torts - Topic 352 ].
Délits civils - Cote 359
Négligence - Véhicule à moteur - Piétons et cyclistes - Enfants sur les routes et dans les rues - [Voir Torts - Topic 359 ].
Délits civils - Cote 362
Négligence - Véhicule à moteur - Piétons et cyclistes - Négligence contributive des piétons et des cyclistes - [Voir Torts - Topic 362 ].
Délits civils - Cote 392
Négligence - Véhicule à moteur - Norme de conduite du conducteur - Envers piétons et cyclistes - [Voir Torts - Topic 392 ].
Délits civils - Cote 395
Négligence - Véhicule à moteur - Norme de conduite du conducteur - Devoir de porter attention - [Voir Torts - Topic 395 ].
Délits civils - Cote 6612
Défenses - Négligence contributive - Cas particuliers - Enfants - [Voir Torts - Topic 6612 ].
Délits civils - Cote 6618
Défences - Négligence contributive - Cas particuliers - Défaut des parents de contrôler leurs enfants - [Voir Torts - Topic 6618 ].
Délits civils - Cote 8904
Devoir de diligence - Relations particulières - Contrôle de la conduite des autres - Contrôle parental des enfants - [Voir Torts - Topic 8904 ].
Délits civils - Cote 8906
Devoir de diligence - Relations particulières - Contrôle de la conduite des autres - Soin des enfants - [Voir Torts - Topic 8906 ].
Authors and Works Noticed:
Cheifetz, David, Apportionment of Fault in Tort, generally [para. 49].
Linden, Allen M., and Feldthusen, Bruce, Canadian Tort Law (8th Ed.), p. 153 [para. 48].
Counsel:
Avocats:
Ryan Burgoyne, for the plaintiff;
Charles A. LeBlond, Q.C., for the defendant;
Terri Humble, per se.
This action was heard on November 13 and 14, 2014, before Garnett, J., of the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, Judicial District of Fredericton, who delivered the following decision on February 27, 2015.
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