BC Appeal Court Raises Injury Award for Ophthalmologist

The British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) in *Clapson v. Knight*, 2026 BCCA 352, raised the loss of future earning capacity award for an ophthalmologist injured in a 2018 rear-end collision in Vancouver by $100,000 and eliminated a 5% mitigation deduction. This decision concluded an eight-year legal battle concerning the financial impact of chronic neck and shoulder pain on Dr. Kathryn Clapson's highly specialized career, which was triggered by a collision with Erin Knight at a Vancouver intersection. The BCCA found a palpable and overriding error in the trial judge's calculation, specifically regarding the ophthalmologist's retirement age and the application of economic multipliers, leading to a significant adjustment in the compensation for future losses.