Discover the major personal injury settlements in Ontario, what drove the numbers, and how courts assess awards
Personal injury settlements in Ontario are not just big numbers on a page. They often arise from car crashes, medical mistakes, and unsafe properties that leave people needing help for life. In this article, we will look at the largest settlements in Ontario's history and explain what courts consider and where most of the money goes.
Here are some of the largest personal injury settlements in Ontario's history:
| Case | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gordon v. Greig | $24 million |
| MacNeil v. Bryan | $18 million |
| Boyd v. Edington | $15 million |
| Sandhu v. Wellington Place Apartments | $14 million |
These cases sit alongside some of the largest personal injury settlements in Canada, which include decisions by the courts in Ontario and in other provinces.
One of the standout personal injury settlements or awards in Ontario is Gordon v. Greig, 2007 CanLII 1333 (ON SC), with a $24 million award after years of trial.
The case arose from a 2003 vehicle crash near Bradford, where Cory Greig was driving, with two friends, Derek Gordon and Ryan Morrison, as passengers. The vehicle was owned by Ford Credit Canada Leasing Company.
Greig had been drinking and was driving at high speed when he swerved to avoid an oncoming car, lost control on City of Kawartha Lakes Road No. 4, and the vehicle rolled into a ditch, ejecting all three occupants.
The injuries of the passengers were severe:
These permanent losses meant that both men needed lifelong care, support with daily living, and major changes to their housing and work prospects.
The result, while devastating for Gordon and Morrison, was also a major blow for Greig and the leasing company. In January 2007, the Ontario Superior Court awarded more than $24 million in combined damages, one of the largest assessments ever seen in a Canadian personal injury case at that time.
Subject to deductions for contributory negligence, this award covered the following:
Specifically, the two received the following:
Gordon v. Greig sits at an important turning point for Ontario law on leased vehicles. At the time of the crash, the leasing company, as owner, faced full vicarious liability under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA), so its large insurance limits were available to respond to the judgment.
However, both the HTA and the Insurance Act were amended, with the following effects starting March 1, 2006:
While these changes to leased‐vehicle liability have been debated, Gordon v. Greig remains a benchmark for what a court will award in a catastrophic case. It also shows how statutory caps can shape who ultimately pays.
Learn more about this case from the perspective of the lawyer and law firm who represented Morrison:
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The case of MacNeil v. Bryan, 2009 CanLII 28648 (ON SC) is often cited as one of the largest personal injury awards in Canada. For lawyers and clients, this case is a clear example of how detailed medical and economic evidence can affect outcomes when a teenager's life is changed in a single crash.
The case arose from an August 2002 crash, when 16‐year‐old Trevor Bryan drove through a stop sign on a rural road in Adjala‐Tosorontio Township, northwest of Toronto. The car became airborne, smashed into a ditch, and came to rest in a nearby field.
The rear seat passenger, the 15‐year‐old Katherine‐Paige MacNeil, was severely injured during the accident. Notably, she was the only one wearing a seat belt at the time.
The impact caused MacNeil several injuries, including a skull fracture and multiple permanent brain injuries, where she:
At trial, the Ontario Superior Court accepted that MacNeil was unemployable in any job and would need round‐the‐clock supervisory care for the rest of her life.
Because of the scale of those losses, the Court awarded around $18 million in damages in favour of MacNeil, which included:
MacNeil's case sits at the top of many lists of the largest personal injury awards in Canada in single‐plaintiff motor vehicle cases. It shows how Canadian courts approach catastrophic brain injuries, especially when the injured is a young person whose long-term care would be the bulk of the settlement or award.
While general damages for pain and suffering are capped under Canadian laws, the combination of lifetime income loss, future care, and structured management can push the overall figure into the tens of millions.
Another case among the largest personal injury awards in Canada is Boyd et al. v. Edington et al., 2014 ONSC 1130. It shows how medical negligence cases can also result in very large awards, not only motor vehicle cases like MacNeil and Marcoccia.
In 2008, 24‐year‐old Danielle Boyd went to Hanover & District Hospital with a severe headache, numbness, garbled speech, and dizziness. She was attended to and assessed by Dr. Richard Bruce Edington.
Boyd was then admitted and given medication to lower her blood pressure, but the real problem was not treated. The next morning, she was transferred to a London hospital where doctors found a tear in her right artery.
She then suffered a massive stroke that damaged her upper spinal cord and lower brain stem. As a result, she was left paralyzed from the neck down. At the time of the stroke, she was a single mother, which added to the impact on her daily life and on her child.
Six years later, a judge ruled that Dr. Edington had misdiagnosed Boyd's condition. The court found that Dr. Edington delayed the correct treatment and hastened the stroke that followed two days after Boyd's first visit. The court also held that this breach of the standard of care caused catastrophic and permanent harm.
The judge ordered $15 million in damages, placing this case among the largest medical negligence awards in Canada. This case also shows how detailed evidence and expert witnesses influence the settlement or award in personal injury cases.
Boyd's case also illustrates how courts analyze allegations that doctors have fallen short of their duties, including:
For litigators, Boyd's case is also a reminder that in high‐value medical cases, the story is told through medical charts, expert testimony, and a clear picture of what life will look like after the error.
Learn about handling legal strategies in E.R. negligence litigation as shared by one of the top personal injury law firms in the country:
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Another major negligence case is Sandhu v. Wellington Place Apartments, 2008 ONCA 215. It is the last in our list of the largest personal injury settlement or awards in Canada.
The case arose in June 1997, when two‐year‐old Harvinder Sandhu was staying at his aunt and uncle's fifth‐floor apartment on Martin Grove Road in Toronto. He fell five storeys through a damaged bedroom window and landed on concrete pavement.
The fall left Harvinder with the following injuries:
Experts who testified said that Sandhu would:
These reports helped the jury understand that the accident did not just cause short‐term harm. It changed his education, work prospects, and ability to live independently.
The jury heard that the landlord had been asked more than once to fix the broken window screen but had not done so. As such, they found:
The jury then awarded around $14 million in damages to the Sandhu family, including guardianship fees, legal costs, and long‐term management of Harvinder's affairs. These awards were upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal.
For lawyers, Sandhu shows how clear evidence of ignored repair requests and permanent brain injury can lead to one of the largest personal injury settlements in Ontario. It also shows how courts weigh landlord duties, parental supervision, and a very young child's lifetime care needs when they put a number on the loss.
Personal injury settlements in Ontario may start with big numbers, but they end with day‐to‐day needs. The largest awards were built on care plans, income loss, and housing, not just pain and suffering.
For many families, that money will carry them through decades. For litigators, these are reminders that the strongest cases are the ones with solid medical evidence and realistic care budgets that tie every line item back to the injury.
Bookmark our Personal Injury practice area page for more updates on personal injury laws, including new cases for the largest personal injury settlements and awards in Ontario.
