Kamloops woman awarded $100K for hair salon car crash
A Kamloops woman will get more than $100,000 after she was hit by a car while sitting in an Ashcroft hair salon.
The vehicle rammed through the front of the salon in September 2016, striking Susan McLean. She was taken to hospital and had no trouble entering the ambulance, but she could hardly stand by the time she got there.
The now-47-year-old massage therapist dealt with recurring headaches after the collision, which sometimes led her to cancel appointments and take days off work.
She was awarded $117,400 in a recent court decision, mostly split between lost wages and loss of enjoyment of life.
Frances Redenbach drove the car through the front of the Ashcroft salon on Sept. 28, 2016, later admitting liability.
The court simply had to decide how much she should be awarded for her injuries.
Lawyers cross-examined doctors as expert witnesses to determine whether McLean's back pain and headaches were due to the accident or related to her work as a massage therapist, according to the Jan. 4 B.C. Supreme Court decision.
In the end, she was awarded $60,000 for loss of enjoyment in her life. She hasn't stopped her volunteer work and hobbies she once did, but reduced the time she spends in those activities.
B.C. Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson also awarded her $50,000 for lost wages in the aftermath of the accident, but not for any future lost wages.
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