A man who allegedly was injured during an RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) training exercise is suing for damages.
RCMP member Vladimir Peh has filed suit against the Attorney General of Canada, Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of B.C., the Attorney General of B.C., the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of B.C., Pete Monds, Glen Fishhook and Sebastien Pilote.
A statement of claim filed August 18 in B.C. Supreme Court alleges that Peh suffered headaches, fatigue and injuries to his back, left leg, and calf muscles as a result of an incident that occurred while he was attending a 2010 candidate selection workshop for the ERP at the Pacific Regional Training Centre in Chilliwack.
The court document alleges that, as part of the exercise, Peh was secured into a climbing harness, blinded with a bag over his head and then directed to climb to a 50-foot high platform on a 150-foot communications tower.
The claim alleges that, once Peh reached the platform, Fishhook secured Peh with a rappel rope and instructed Peh to climb over the railing, let go of the railing and fall backward off the tower.
Peh, still blinded by the bag over his head, allegedly complied. The suit claims that Pilote was responsible for conducting the bottom belay and safely lowering the plaintiff off the tower but failed to properly control the plaintiff's fall and dropped him at a high speed.
"His body swung toward a metal cross member support beam a the mid-point of the tower," the claim reads.
"The plaintiff's back struck the beam on the tower, causing the plaintiff to scream from the pain of the impact."
Peh is suing for damages, damages "in trust" for the care and services provided by his family and past and future health-care costs.
