What is the test for a mitigation defence in a motor vehicle accident?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Cummings v. Hitt, 2015 BCSC 530 (CanLII):

Once the plaintiff establishes the defendant is liable for causing his or her injuries, the burden of proof shifts to the defendant. To succeed on a mitigation defence, the defence must prove: i) a rehabilitative program would have reduced or eliminated the effect of the injuries; ii) a reasonable plaintiff in the same circumstances would have followed such a program; iii) the plaintiff unreasonably failed to follow such a program; and iv) the extent to which the plaintiff's damages would have been reduced if he or she had followed such a program: Harris v. Zabaras, 2010 BCSC 97.

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