A man who suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung during an arrest by Waterloo regional police officers was later turned away from Grand River Hospital, according to a report by the province’s police watchdog.
The Special Investigations Unit says the man was initially injured on Dec. 19, 2022 after police were called to a construction site on King Street in downtown Kitchener for a theft in progress.
Police found the suspect farther up the street and an officer gave chase on foot, with the suspect hopping onto his bike.
The report from SIU director Tony Martino goes on to say that a second cruiser arrived to block the suspect’s path but the cruiser hit a patch of ice as it came toward the suspect and he was hit by the vehicle.
The officers then arrested the suspect and took him to Grand River Hospital, where he was examined and discharged “without a serious injury diagnosis.”
After the suspect was booked, he was also released by police.
The SIU says that four days later, the man complained of chest pain to his mom before he returned to GRH for a second look.
The hospital turned him away before Martino’s report says “he then went to Cambridge Memorial Hospital where he was treated and diagnosed with five fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and internal bleeding.”
He remained in the hospital in Cambridge for treatment for several days.
The injured man and the officer driving the cruiser did not speak to SIU, as they are allowed, and the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing in the injury.
“In the result, while I accept that the complainant’s injuries were incurred in his collision with the (subject officer’s) cruiser, there are no reasonable grounds to believe the (subject officer’s) conduct deviated markedly from a reasonable standard of care, much less that it did so in a marked and substantial way,” Martino wrote. “As such, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case. The file is closed.”
Global News contacted Grand River Hospital for comment on the case but a spokesperson said the facility was unable to specifically comment about the incident.
“For patient privacy reasons, we can’t comment on any specifics to this report,” they said in an email.
“Speaking generally, when someone comes to the emergency department for care they are registered, triaged, and seen by a physician or nurse practitioner, provided they don’t choose to leave on their own first. “
Comments