Vancouver medical school hopeful gets $563,000 in damages after car crash

Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2019 01:44:49 +0000

A Vancouver woman and medical school hopeful has been awarded $563,000 in damages after a car accident that occurred more than five years ago.

In a Supreme Court of B.C. ruling issued by Justice Paul Walker, he found that Rachel Sen-Laurenz was a credible and honest witness who at times understated what the doctors had determined about injuries she suffered during a car crash in spring 2014.

Court heard that Sen-Laurenz was a passenger in a car driven by her mother on Arbutus Street near West 8th Avenue in the afternoon of April 14 when they were involved in a multi-vehicle accident. Sen-Laurenz did not suffer any broken bones or lose consciousness, but was jolted forward and sideways, and her forehead hit the front-passenger window. Neck pain and tingling in her right arm appeared after the accident.

Walker wrote that before the accident Sen-Laurenz — then 20 — was “a very active, highly energetic and socially engaging person,” who was studying at Capilano University in North Vancouver. She was planning to transfer to the University of B.C. in fall 2014, where she would study in preparation for her to successfully complete the MCAT exam needed to be accepted into UBC or other medical schools.

However, after the accident things began to go sideways for her due to what court heard were disabling soft-tissue injuries to her neck and back that are unresolved. At one point she suffered from binge-eating disorder and was unable to maintain two server jobs that she commenced shortly after the accident.

Walker wrote that the evidence from all the doctors who testified was that her injuries and current and anticipated continuing symptoms and impairment in function were caused solely by the accident. He added that memorization, concentration and focus continue to be difficult for her.

“These difficulties adversely affected her final marks and grade point average at Capilano University and at UBC,” Walker wrote.

Walker rejected several of the defence arguments, including Sen-Laurenz travelling with a 30-pound backpack in South-East Asia in 2018 meant that she had fully recovered and suffered no pain or discomfort. The defendants — Kristen E. Napoli, First West Leasing Ltd., Roberto Enrico Napoli and Antonio Perri — had admitted liability for the accident, with this case looking at the nature and anticipated duration of the injuries and symptoms, the treatment needed and their impact on Sen-Laurenz’s past and future earnings.

Walker wrote that Sen-Laurenz’s evidence was that her entry into medical school and the medical profession had been delayed due to the injuries she sustained in the accident.

“She still intends to start medical school at UBC in 2020, but is concerned her injuries will impair her ability to work in the surgical field or as an emergency medicine doctor,” he wrote.

The bulk of Walker’s damages ruling is comprised of $325,000 for loss of future earning capacity, $120,000 for future medical costs and $90,000 for pain and suffering.

dcarrigg@postmedia.com

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