Heather Polischuk, Regina, Sask (Regina Leader-Post) – Alleging harassment and a lack of help from the RCMP following his involvement in a traumatic fatal collision, a former Mountie has launched a lawsuit against the province and the Attorney General of Canada.
In the lawsuit filed at Regina Court of Queen’s Bench earlier this summer, Harry Searle from Regina says he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after accidentally running over and killing a 19-year-old First Nations man who was lying on Highway 8 near Kamsack on Sept. 11, 2003. The claim says Searle — who began his employment with the RCMP in 1992 and was, at the time of the incident, a constable at the Kamsack detachment — was on duty at the time.
Following the collision, Searle claims some members of the aboriginal community lashed out against him and even his then-wife, also a member. He went on medical leave but returned to administrative duties in November 2003.
Searle claims he requested a transfer out of the area but was denied until July 2007 despite his “medical and psychological ill health” being known to the RCMP. He further claims his then-employer “aggravated” his overall condition by “failing to accommodate the Plaintiff’s medical and psychological needs” and that his staff sergeant “embarked on a deliberate campaign of verbal harassment.”
Allegations contained in the statement of claim haven’t been proven in court.
Searle says the RCMP was aware he needed assistance and that he “could not function properly at or near the Kamsack Detachment yet failed to facilitate an appropriate transfer.”
He alleges the harassment by his staff sergeant “was done intentionally, or alternatively, with reckless disregard as to the effect” it would have on Searle. He claims further psychological trauma resulted and that the harassment and “retaliative action” by members of the RCMP continued until Searle’s employment with the police force ended in September 2010.
By 2006, Searle says his marriage was breaking down and that he’d developed an alcohol problem due to trauma related to the collision and issues with his employer. He’d eventually, in September 2008, be twice charged with impaired driving.
He says he’d repeatedly sought help for himself, including in-patient treatment for alcoholism and mental health issues. Despite what he says were recommendations from his physicians that the RCMP support him in his treatment, including financially, Searle claims his employer failed to do so.
“In 2010, the Plaintiff continued to fight for payment of medical treatment for his conditions, which were directly caused by a work related accident and worsened by the harassment, withholding of benefits, and bad faith negotiations on the part of the RCMP,” the claim reads.
The claim doesn’t provide detail on why his employment finally ended, other than referring to it as wrongful “constructive dismissal.”
Searle is asking an unspecified amount in damages and expenses, including for treatment and medication-related fees.
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