Tag Archives: british columbia

Self-Driving Cars: A Reality in Vancouver?

  Vancouver City (the “City”) Councillor Geoff Meggs plans to table a council meeting motion this Tuesday to have the City investigate putting self-driving cars onto Vancouver roads: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2016/02/18/speed-up-on-driverless-cars-meggs However, the Province of British Columbia (the “Province”) Transportation Minister Todd Stone has stated that the City does not have jurisdiction to create a pilot project to test self-driving cars: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/driverless-cars-bc-vancouver-1.3454762 In […]

Personal injuries and buses: injured party awarded $1,000,000 after Greyhound bus accident.

  As Vancouver upgrades its mass transit and increased traffic makes personal vehicles less desirable, we are likely to see more people riding mass transit and shared transportation, which is likely to increase the total amount of personal injuries arising from these modes of transportation. In a recent Supreme Court of British Columbia, a man […]

Sharing the road with cyclists: are cyclists obligated to ride on the shoulder?

  As bicycling has become a more common way to commute, the number of personal injury actions involving cyclists has increased. Significant confusion about where a cyclist is supposed to ride remains. It is well established that bicycles do not belong on sidewalks, but are they obligated to ride on the shoulder? The shoulder is […]

The courts put limits on ICBC’s right to Facebook material.

  The courts have struggled with how to address social media in the context of a personal injury case. Although the information can be valuable and relevant, it is also private. They have ruled that opposing parties do have the right to access some social media material. However, that right is not without limits. In […]

What exactly is whiplash? How do the courts deal with it? How much is a whiplash injury worth?

  As this is an extremely common injury from motor vehicle accidents, I felt that the subject of whiplash required further elaboration. The issue of whiplash is a complicated one. Unlike injuries that involve broken bones or visible cuts or bruises, whiplash usually consists entirely of self-reported injuries. This puts the court in a position […]

Injured in a motor vehicle accident? ICBC may owe you compensation for retraining and tuition costs.

  The Supreme Court of British Columbia recently awarded a plaintiff $5000 for future training on the grounds that there was a “reasonable likelihood” she would require it: http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/15/17/2015BCSC1740.htm What made this award interesting was that the judge had also ruled that the plaintiff was “not, at this time, disabled in any meaningful way.” Additionally, this […]

New York judge rules that uber is legal and cab companies must simply compete with ride sharing services.

  The law in New York state makes it illegal to hail a ride from the street from a vehicle without a proper license. The taxi companies were arguing that the use of a smart phone to arrange a ride was equivalent to an electronic “hail”. The courts, however, decided that this was not the case. […]

Never settle too early with ICBC: the courts award a plaintiff almost $800,000 for a deteriorating soft-tissue injury.

  When negotiating with ICBC there is always a temptation to settle a case as soon as possible. A recent Supreme Court of British Columbia case illustrates why this can be a huge mistake: http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/15/15/2015BCSC1532.htm Here, a plaintiff initially suffered what were described as “typical” soft-tissue injuries. Over time, however, these injuries progressed into something […]

You can make an ICBC claim despite not living in Canada.

  The country you are resident in does not determine your right to make a claim for personal injuries in British Columbia (BC) or other jurisdictions in Canada. Generally, the rule is that in order to bring a claim in BC, you need only have been injured while inside BC. Most personal injury cases involving car […]