Nearly two years after Tim Hague died in hospital, just days after a boxing match at what is now the Edmonton Convention Centre, his family has filed a lawsuit against the City of Edmonton claiming gross negligence.
Hague was 34 years old when he was knocked out by Adam Braidwood in the June 2017 fight.
A statement of claim against the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission and several people involved in the fight was filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench on Friday.
The document says “the defendants each owed a duty of care to the deceased to exercise a reasonable standard of care, skill, diligence, and ensure that the deceased was in a safe and fit condition to participate in combative sports.”
“Each defendant breached their respective duty owed to the deceased,” the statement of claim reads.
The statement of claim alleges the defendants allowed Hague to take part in “combative sports events when they knew or ought to have known that he should have been suspended.”
The document alleges the fight should have been stopped when it was clear Hague was “no longer in a position to adequately protect himself” and that there was a failure to “properly and reasonably evaluate and inquire” with Hague about whether he was able to keep fighting.
The statement of claim also alleges people involved with the event did not properly look into Hague’s medical history, previous fight history or provide sufficient amount of medical resources for the fight.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
“It’s our belief, and my client’s belief, that the passing of Tim Hague could have been prevented,” the Hagues’ family lawer, Ari Schacter, told Global News. “The hope is that the passing of Tim Hague will stand, and this case will stand, as a way to implement a positive change in the regulation of combative sports in Edmonton and across Alberta.”
On Saturday, David Aitken, the City of Edmonton’s branch manager of community standards and neighbourhoods, issued a statement to Global News about the legal action being taken by Hague’s family.
“But I do want to note that fighter safety remains our top priority for combative sport events in Edmonton.”
READ MORE: Edmonton report into boxer Tim Hague’s death makes 18 recommendations to improve fighter safety
Watch below: (From December 2017) An independent report looking into the June death of Tim Hague after a fighting event in Edmonton has found some rules weren’t followed. Vinesh Pratap reports.
In December 2017, a third-party report looking into the death of the fighter, who was also a father and a teacher, made 18 recommendations, including that a provincial commission be created to oversee combative sports in Alberta.
That same month, Edmonton City Council put a moratorium on combative sports in place that was eventually lifted in February 2018.
READ MORE: Moratorium on combative sports officially lifted in Edmonton
Watch below: (From February 2018) City councillors are recommending that a moratorium on combative sports in Edmonton that was put in place on Dec. 8, 2017, be lifted. Vinesh Pratap reports.
–With files from Global News’ Emily Mertz and Caley Ramsay
View the statement of claim in its entirety below:
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