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An aspiring film director and perhaps actress, turned dominatrix, has been granted $1.5 million following a car accident that changed her life.
Alissa Afonina was travelling in a vehicle with her mother Alla and the driver, her mother’s former boyfriend Peter Jansson on August 9th, 2008. The group was travelling along the Trans-Canada Highway from Tappen towards Salmon Arm when they were involved in an accident. The truck they were riding in ended up in the eastbound ditch and according to court documents, the road was wet from recent rain.
Both Alissa and Alla claimed significant personal injuries as a result of the accident, including traumatic brain injuries and related symptoms. Justice Joel Groves agreed in his decision that Jansson was negligent in operating his vehicle and that Alla suffered a mild traumatic brain injury while Alissa’s brain injury was moderate.
Alissa Afonina (Photo Credit: Facebook)
Prior to the accident Alla was considered a hard worker and was working towards an Executive MBA degree. After the accident she could not complete clerk level basic arithmetic, grammar and punctuation exams at a passing level. As a result she has fewer jobs available to her and is less attractive for job placement because of her disability.
Her daughter Alissa has an even tougher time with her brain injury. Alissa was in grade 12 at the time of the accident and was planning on taking a specialty program in media arts. She was considered a bright student by her teachers and was in the top two percentile in her class activities as assignments. While she was described as a goth girl with an ‘artiste presentation’ teachers spoke very highly of her.
After the accident Alissa was very different according to her teacher Phil Bryne, she showed signs of no impulse control, could not carry through with tasks. “She became socially isolated and began to have outbursts in class. She made sexual comments during these outbursts that were inappropriate for the class setting,” said court documents.
Alissa Afonina (Photo Credit: Model Mayham)
Justice Groves noted in his decision that Alissa failed once enrolled in the media arts class and withdrew from school. She will unlikely succeed in post-secondary education as she could not handle the course load. After the accident Alissa began work in a high risk field, becoming a dominatrix.
“The particular nature of Alissa’s chosen work was relevant to the arguments made by both parties at trial. The plaintiff argues that it shows a lack of correct thinking on the part of Alissa. It shows someone who is prepared to engage in risky activities in exchange for money to, as she put it, “to pay the rent and pay for food”. It shows, plaintiff counsel argues, an unnecessary risk assumption, due to the loss of cognitive functioning from the brain injury,” said Justice Groves.
As a result of the accident and injuries the judge has ruled that Alla receive $ 943,889.36 and Alissa $1,525,404.77, which will cover all types of losses including future losses. The judge also added that “I would add that I accept Alissa’s evidence that once this matter is resolved and she has the financial wherewithal to support herself, she would not continue work as a dominatrix.”
*Photo Cover Credits: Flickr
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