A West Kelowna man was awarded $132,000 by the Supreme Court of British Columbia for injuries he sustained during a motorcycle accident in 2016.
According to the judgment, a pickup truck was turning left from Hunter Avenue onto Enterprise Way back on June 16, 2016, when the driver suddenly stopped in the middle of his turn after noticing a motorcyclist quickly approaching in the other direction.
The driver of the pickup truck claimed he did not block the entire lane allowing the motorcylist to get around him, however the 40-year-old motorcyclist was forced to take evasive action and laid down his motorcycle before sliding into the truck.
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The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with stiffness in his neck and back as well as pain in his right arm and a cut to his elbow. The crash forced the rider to take three months off work and attend more than a dozen physiotherapy sessions.
The judge concluded that whether the truck blocked the entire lane or not, the actions of the driver caused the motorcyclist to take evasive action in order to try to avoid the collision and was therefore responsible for the accident.
The judge awarded the motorcyclist a total of $132,000, including $60,000 for non-pecuniary damages.
