The assessment of whether there is a significant impairment of the ability to lead a normal life under s 79(1) of the Motor Accidents Act 1988 (NSW) is a discretionary judgment attracting the House v The King standard of appellate review, and a trial judge's conclusion will not readily be disturbed. A trial judge may depart from the conventional separation of past and future economic loss and award a single cushion for general diminution in earning capacity where the plaintiff's employment history is unstable and the diminution is only partly attributable to the accident.
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