Dentist whose career affected by crash awarded $1.4M

A dentist in Canada was awarded $1.4 million in damages after a court heard testimony that the injuries he sustained in a car crash could leave him losing $6 million in projected revenues if he worked until 65, according to news stories published on January 23.

In a decision handed down on January 21, the court determined that Dr. Cameron Harris, who owns and operates View Royal Dental Clinic in Victoria with his fiancée, would be awarded $1.47 million due to the defendants' negligence.

Harris was awarded less than the $1.6 million to $2.9 million in damages he was seeking from Vida Anderson-Wulff, the driver of the vehicle that rear-ended the car in which Harris was a front-seat passenger and Abigail Owen was the driver. The claim against Owen was discontinued, according to the stories.

On March 31, 2018, Harris, who was a dental student at the time, was a passenger in a car Owen was driving. Both were wearing seatbelts when their vehicle was struck by one driven by Andersen-Wulff. Though Andersen-Wulff admitted liability for the accident, she disputed Harris' claims for damages, calling his evidence not reliable or credible, according to the stories.

Harris, who became a dentist in 2020, alleged that injuries, including hand numbness, chipped teeth, and neck and shoulder pain, he sustained from the car crash left him to incur losses in his dental practice.

In addition to continuing to have low mood and anxiety, Harris reportedly had trouble doing clinical work as a dental student due to pain and discomfort in his hand and fingers and must use his left hand to operate dental instruments, he said. In court, Harris testified that he was allegedly losing one to three dental billing hours for procedures that can yield up to $2,000 an hour in billings due to his injuries, according to the stories.

Furthermore, an economist testified on Harris' behalf saying that the dentist's injuries could lose him up to $6 million in income if he worked to age 65.

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