Lee v. Bliss and Woodstock Transport Ltd., (1995) 170 N.B.R.(2d) 131 (TD)

• Court: Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick (Canada)
• Case Date: December 05, 1995
• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Citations: (1995), 170 N.B.R.(2d) 131 (TD)

Lee v. Bliss (1995), 170 N.B.R.(2d) 131 (TD);

    170 R.N.-B.(2e) 131; 435 A.P.R. 131

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Rita Lee (plaintiff) v. Wallace R. Bliss and  Woodstock Transport Ltd. (defendants)

(E/C/87/91)

Indexed As: Lee v. Bliss and Woodstock Transport Ltd.

New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench

Trial Division

Judicial District of Edmundston

Daigle, C.J.Q.B.

December 5, 1995.

Summary:

The plaintiff brought an action against the driver of a transport truck as well as the owner of the truck for psychological injury she sustained as a result of a motor vehicle accident.

The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, allowed the action.

Damage Awards - Topic 498

Injury and death - General damages awards - Pain and suffering, loss of amenities and other nonpecuniary damages - Bliss, the driver of a transport truck owned by Woodstock Transport, subjected Lee to vicious verbal abuse after having intentionally struck her vehicle - Lee was not physically injured but later experienced “anxiety syndrome with panic disorder and associated depressive symptomatology” - Lee brought an action against Woodstock Transport “for tort as a result of negli­gence in the operation of the motor vehicle” under subsection 267(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act (N.B.) - The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, allowed the action and assessed general damages for “post-traumatic stress and loss of enjoyment of life” at $30,000, plus $2,000 for loss of sick leave benefits - See paragraphs 30 to 42.

Torts - Topic 55

Negligence - Causation - Liability for negligence of others - Bliss, the driver of a transport truck owned by Woodstock Transport, subjected Lee to vicious verbal abuse after having intentionally struck her vehicle - Lee was not physically injured but later experienced “anxiety syndrome with panic disorder and associated depres­sive symptomatology” - Lee brought an action against Woodstock Transport, “for tort as a result of negligence in the op­eration of the motor vehicle” under sub­section 267(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act (N.B.) - The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, allowed the action because the accident resulted from activities related to the operation of a motor vehicle and there was a causal connection between the accident and the resulting injury and Bliss' tortious acts at the wheel of the truck - See paragraphs 1 to 29.

Torts - Topic 61

Negligence - Causation - Causal con­nection - [See Torts - Topic 55 ].

Torts - Topic 300

Negligence - Motor vehicle - Liability of owner for negligence of driver of owner's vehicle - General - [See Torts - Topic 55 ].

Cases Noticed:

Poland v. Parr and Sons, [1926] All E.R. 177, refd to. [para. 11].

Keppel Bus Co. v. Sa'ad bin Ahmad, [1974] 2 All E.R. 700, refd to. [para. 11].

Stevenson v. Reliance Petroleum Ltd., [1956] S.C.R. 936, refd to. [para. 13].

Law, Union and Rock Insurance Co. v. Moore's Taxi Ltd., [1960] S.C.R. 936, refd to. [para. 13].

Amos v. Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, [1993] I.L.R. 2345 (B.C.S.C.), affd. (1994), 42 B.C.A.C. 305; 67 W.A.C. 305; 39 B.C.L.R.(2d) 187 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 14].

Amos v. Insurance Corp. of British Columbia (1995), 186 N.R. 150; 63 B.C.A.C. 1; 104 W.A.C. 1 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 15].

McIllwraith and Shipley v. Melles (1979), 27 N.B.R.(2d) 388; 60 A.P.R. 388 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Lewis v. St. Stephen (Town) et al. (1980), 29 N.B.R.(2d) 167; 66 A.P.R. 167 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

LeBlanc v. LeBlanc (1992), 128 N.B.R.(2d) 292; 322 A.P.R. 292 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Meehan v. Cannon et al. (1993), 138 N.B.R.(2d) 97; 354 A.P.R. 97 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 37].

Osadchy et al. v. Braun, [1991] 5 W.W.R. 363; 72 Man.R.(2d) 286 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 37].

Smith and Smith v. O'Brien (1980), 33 N.B.R.(2d) 206; 80 A.P.R. 206 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 39].

Flanagan v. Lévesque (1994), 148 N.B.R.(2d) 101; 378 A.P.R. 101 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 41].

Statutes Noticed:

Motor Vehicle Act, R.S.N.B. 1973, c. M-17, sect. 267(1) [para. 1].

Counsel:

François M. Angers, Q.C., for the plaintiff;

Gilles C. Thibodeau, Q.C., for the defen­dant Woodstock Transport Ltd.

This action was heard on February 13 and 14, 1995 before Daigle, C.J.Q.B., of the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, Judicial District of Ed­mundston.

Daigle, C.J.Q.B., delivered the following de­cision on December 5, 1995.