Highest Case Winnings from an Ontario Personal Injury Lawyer

It’s a lesson we’re taught from an early age and one that persists through adulthood. Misers like Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Foster Kane, and C. Montgomery Burns, bad and fundamentally unhappy (though rich) men, are allegories to show the futility of money in the search for happiness. So when we hear about the frivolous personal injury cases litigated by our neighbours to the south over minor afflictions, they often feel vain and frustrating. This is not to say that pecuniary damages are always bad in personal injury cases though. Here in Canada, while we aren’t awarding millions for stubbed toes and spilled coffee, Ontario personal injury lawyers can help serious personal injury victims receive necessary compensation for their pain, suffering, and losses. Here are two of the highest personal injury case awards in recent years.

Marcoccia v. Gill

On the night of June 8^th, Robert Marcoccia, a 20-year-old who had just finished the last of his high school exams and graduated grade 12, was driving westbound on Rexdale Boulevard in Etobicoke. Passing through the intersection at Humberwood Boulevard, Marcoccia opted to proceed through an amber light—and disaster struck. Bhupinder Gill, travelling the opposite direction on Rexdale, failed to see Marcoccia and began making a left turn during the changing light, leaving Marcoccia insufficient stopping time. Marcoccia’s car collided with Gill’s van at high speed, leaving the young man with a brain injury and “enduring physical, psychological, behavioural and emotional impairments”. A Toronto personal injury lawyer secured $16.9 million for Marcoccia to compensate for pain and suffering, lost future income cost, and future cost of care.

Sandhu v. Wellington Place Apartments

The Sandhu family, of which five-year-old Harvinder was a member, lived on the fifth floor of an apartment on Martin Grove Road, Toronto, owned by Wellington Place Apartments. The’, Harvinder’s aunt and uncle, lived down the hall, and, on June 5^th, the relatives were hosting the Sandhu children at their apartment. As the Dhillons’ had repeatedly mentioned to their superintendent, one of the bedroom windows was broken such that it was not child-safe. The superintendent himself had put in a request for repair materials to building officials multiple times but had not received any (thus placing responsibility in the hands of the building owners). While Mrs. Dhillon was preparing dinner for the children on that fateful day, Harvinder wandered into said bedroom, climbed up to the window, and fell from the fifth floor, sustaining a severe head injury. As a result of negligence on the part of Wellington Place Apartments, the Sandhu’s Toronto personal injury lawyer secured $17.1 million for the family.

Clearly, these are both extreme cases, but an Ontario personal injury lawyer can help with any type of personal injury. Be it a slip and fall, a motor vehicle accident, or anything else. An Ontario personal injury lawyer will be focused on getting you adequate compensation, no matter the severity. If you’ve been injured as a result of negligence, contact the experienced team at Sokoloff for a free consultation.

Sources:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2008/2008onca215/2008onca215.html

http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2009/2009onca317/2009onca317.html