A B.C. Supreme Court Justice has ordered Greyhound Canada to pay a former Mackenzie man a six-figure sum for the injuries he suffered when one of the company's buses crashed on the Trans-Canada Highway.
In a decision issued this week by Justice Arne Silverman, Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal, 61, was awarded $314, 515 for future loss of earning capacity, non-pecuniary damages, future cost of care and special damages plus the net amount of income lost.
A machine operator at a sawmill, Dhaliwal's gross amount of income lost was calculated at $646,058, but he will receive the net amount as agreed on by counsel. If they can't agree, the matter will be brought back to Silverman.
On Dec. 22, 2007, Dhaliwal was a passenger on a Greyhound bus, traveling to the Lower Mainland to visit his family over the holiday season.
West of Hope, there was fresh snow on the ground and the driver lost control crashing the bus into a concrete barrier. The bus remained upright but there were no seatbelts.
Dhaliwal had testified he did not recall what happened, only that he found himself "stuck in between two seats" on his knees on the floor of the bus.
Dhaliwal got up with support of the seats and made his way off the bus but was complaining of pain in his neck, shoulder blade, cheekbone, nose and forehead.
A doctor testified Dhaliwal also sustained a concussion and Silverman found Dhaliwal will continue to suffer pain as a result of his injuries.
Silverman also determined Dhaliwal, who now lives in Surrey, was unable to work in any capacity for five years and four months following the crash and only part-time thereafter.
Greyhound admitted the crash occurred as a result of the driver's negligence. At issue was the extent of Dhaliwal's injuries and how much in damages Greyhound should pay him.
