MOTOR VEHICLE REPORTS Sixth Series/Sixi`Eme S´Erie Recueil De Jurisprudence En Droit Des V´Ehicules A` Moteur
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MOTOR VEHICLE REPORTS Sixth Series/Sixi`eme s´erie Recueil de jurisprudence en droit des v´ehicules a` moteur VOLUME 4 (Cited 4 M.V.R. (6th)) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/REDACTEUR´ EN CHEF Murray D. Segal, B.A., B.C.L., LL.B. Deputy Attorney General Province of Ontario ASSOCIATE EDITORS/REDACTEURS´ ADJOINTS Justice Rick Libman Ontario Court of Justice (Provincial Division) Toronto, Ontario John C. Pearson, B.A., LL.B., LL.M. Liz Rice, B.A., LL.B. Director, Crown Operations Barrister & Solicitor Central West Region Toronto, Ontario Ministry of Attorney General Ontario CARSWELL EDITORIAL STAFF/REDACTION´ DE CARSWELL Jeffrey D. Mitchell, B.A., M.A. Director, Editorial Production and Manufacturing Graham B. Peddie, LL.B. Product Development Manager Sharon Yale, LL.B., M.A. Julia Fischer, B.A.(HON.), LL.B. Supervisor, Legal Writing Acting Supervisor, Legal Writing Dionne Chambers, B.A., LL.B. Jim Fitch, B.A., M.A., LL.B. Senior Legal Writer Senior Legal Writer Peggy Gibbons, B.A.(HON.), LL.B. 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ISSN 0709-5341 ISBN 978-0-7798-3035-0 Printed in Canada by Thomson Reuters CARSWELL, A DIVISION OF THOMSON REUTERS CANADA LIMITED One Corporate Plaza Customer Relations 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto 1-416-609-3800 Toronto, Ontario Elsewhere in Canada/U.S. 1-800-387-5164 M1T 3V4 Fax 1-416-298-5082 www.carswell.com E-mail www.carswell.com/email MOTOR VEHICLE REPORTS Sixth Series/Sixi`eme s´erie Recueil de jurisprudence en droit des v´ehicules a` moteur [Indexed as: Clements (Litigation Guardian of) v. Clements] Joan Clements, by her litigation guardian, Donna Jardine (Respondent / Plaintiff) and Joseph Clements (Appellant / Defendant) British Columbia Court of Appeal Frankel, Tysoe, Garson JJ.A. Heard: May 26, 2010 Judgment: December 17, 2010 Docket: Vancouver CA036882, 2010 BCCA 581 R.A. Easton, R.W. Morasiewicz for Appellant D.G. Cowper, Q.C., D. Byl, K.V. Aimetz for Respondent Torts –––– Negligence — Causation — General principles –––– Plaintiff and defendant were wife and husband respectively — Husband had many years experience riding motorcycles — Parties were on motorcycle trip together in rain, and when trying to pass another vehicle, rear tire rapidly deflated due to puncture, motorcycle went into wobble, fell to one side and capsized — Wife suffered severe traumatic brain injury as result — Wife brought successful action against husband for damages for negligence — Trial judge found that husband was negligent in travelling at excessive speed, and in allowing motorcycle to be overloaded by more than 100 pounds — Trial judge held that causal effect of factors eluded precise scientific proof, but common sense supported conclusion that they materially contributed to wife’s injuries, and she had been exposed to unreason- able risk of injury — Husband appealed — Appeal allowed — Once trial judge found that wife had failed to prove causation under “but-for” test, action should have been dis- missed — “Material-contribution” test was not test for determining factual causation, but rather provided basis for finding legal causation where there was possibility that negli- gent actions could have been factual cause — Upon failure of proving “but-for” test, wife was required to show that it was impossible to prove causation due to circular or depen- dency causation, and prove that husband breached standard of care, exposed her to unrea- sonable risk of injury, and that she suffered that type of injury — Case did not involve either circular or dependency causation — Given current state of knowledge, it was not possible to prove whether negligent actions of husband caused harm. Cases considered by Frankel J.A.: Barker v. Corus (UK) Plc (2006), [2006] I.C.R. 809, [2006] 2 A.C. 572, 89 B.M.L.R. 1, [2006] 3 All E.R. 785, [2006] UKHL 20, [2006] 2 W.L.R. 1027 (U.K. H.L.) — considered 2 MOTOR VEHICLE REPORTS 4 M.V.R.