A woman has been awarded almost $1 million after getting hit by a car in the Richmond Costco parking lot.
Parminder Kaur Sunner, 50, was walking through the parking lot in 2017 when she got hit by Myung Ju Lee’s car.
Sunner recalled landing on the hood of the car and hitting her head near her ear.
She felt a headache and pain on her side, and she experienced pain all over her body and suffered “excruciating headaches” after the accident.
During her lawsuit against Lee, Sunner told the court she has not been able to work since the accident and has had to undergo a variety of treatments, especially to alleviate the “intolerable” and “non-stop” pain in her leg.
“There is little question that the injuries that Ms. Sunner incurred as a result of the accident have had a profound and longstanding effect on her quality of life,” said B.C. Supreme Court Justice Matthew Taylor in his written decision.
At the time of the accident, Sunner was working full-time as a medical imaging booking clerk and was doing freelance esthetician work for friends and family.
She also worked as a medical office assistant and a makeup consultant prior to the accident.
Sunner was described as “the life of the party” who exercised almost daily, hosted dinner parties for big groups of friends and there was no evidence she had mental health issues.
“After the accident, Ms. Sunner’s life changed completely,” Taylor wrote.
Sunner told the court she no longer engages in recreation of any kind and the impact on her mental health has been “substantial.”
Defence questioned Sunner’s credibility, pointing out that her testimony about the accident, her employment and income and her hospitalization were inconsistent.
Although Taylor acknowledged the issues showed Sunner had the ability to “exaggerate and stretch the truth when it suits her interests,” he decided Sunner is still credible because her physical and psychological injuries have impacted her memory and recollection.
He added Sunner was “generally consistent and coherent” when testifying about her injuries and their impact on her life, and there was “an abundance of expert evidence” showing the serious nature of the injuries and symptoms.
Judge Taylor ultimately decided to award Sunner a total of $1,208,467 in non-pecuniary damages (compensation for her pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of amenities), loss of her past earning capacity, loss of her future earnings, her future care costs and loss of housekeeping capacity.
However, he decided to discount the amount by 25 per cent to account for Sunner’s pre-existing back condition and her failure to take “proactive steps” to treat her symptoms, exercise and rehabilitate herself.
