A 22-year-old Ontario woman has been awarded more than $18 million for brain injuries stemming from a single-vehicle accident. On August 2, 2002, 15-year-old Grade 10 student Katherine-Paige (KP) MacNeil was travelling with two friends in a vehicle being driven by Trevor Bryan, whose licence had only recently been reinstated after a temporary suspension. At approximately 1 a.m., Bryan ran a stop sign and shot across Highway 89 in southwestern Ontario, crashing head-on into the ditch on the other side.
MacNeil, who was sitting in the back seat, was the only person wearing a seat belt. Her skull was fractured and she was left with multiple, permanent and catastrophic brain injuries. Because she is incapable of taking care of herself and requires constant supervision, her parents have both quit their jobs to care for her.
"We don't feel great about getting this money because my daughter is still the way she is and will probably never get better," said her father, Gord MacNeil. "But still, it has taken a huge financial burden of worry away from my family, and my daughter has a more secure future."
The award includes approximately $15 million for future care costs and $1.3 million for future loss of income.
This is believed to be Canada's largest award to date, surpassing the $17 million recently awarded to an injured Ontario man. We reported on that judgment in the autumn edition of News Board.
You can read this verdict at http://http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2009/2009canlii43644/2009canlii43644.html. |
