Winnipeg car crash victim says he was beaten by hospital security

A man injured in acar crash and taken to Winnipeg's largest hospital for treatment in mid-January left with even more injuries and alleges he was beaten by hospital security.

Bobby Thomas, 39, of Winnipeg says he suffered a cheekbone fracture, concussion and nerve damage after a group of security guards at Health Sciences Centre pushed him, then repeatedly hit him in the head and smashed his face into the concrete floor.

He says hospitals shouldn't allow security guards to use physical force with patientsand he hopes to never go to that hospital again.

"I will tell everybody I know never to go there," Thomas told CBC News. "What happened to me is not right."

Hospital officials said they are aware of the incident and are reviewing surveillance video. A Shared Health spokesperson told CBC in an emailed statement they're also debriefing with their in-house security team that staffs the adult emergency department.

Thomas provided a statement to police last week, and police say their investigation is ongoing.

Confrontation escalates after decision to leave hospital

Thomas was on his way to work on the morning of Jan. 18when he was involvedin a head-on collision close to downtown, near Isabel Street and William Avenue.

He was rushed to nearby Health Sciences Centre by ambulance and wheeled into the hospital wearing a neck brace. He said he couldn't move his neck and his back hurt.

From about 7:30 a.m. until after 3:30 p.m., Thomas said he waited in discomfort without being seen by a doctor, without receiving medication to manage his pain and without getting a scan. He called his older sister April Thomas for help.

"We need to find some place to get me seen. They're not helping me," Thomas recalled telling April.

They decided to get him care elsewhere, but as Thomas got ready to leave, he said one of the nurses objected, saying a doctor needed to see him.

"I was then put in a position where I felt like I needed to record myself as I thought I was being belittled for making my own choice to want to leave to go get medical help somewhere else," Thomas said.

A security guard approached them and said he couldn't record, Thomas said.

He said security guards then followed him to the front lobby emergency triage area where he planned to wait for a ride from his father.

"I didn't want to wait outside in the cold," Thomas said. "I was then forcefully told that I had to leave."

He said he felt threatened as more guards appeared,and once again started recording with his phone.

After exchanging words, Thomas said he glanced down at his phone when one of the guards grabbed and pushed him.

"But the sensor door didn't open, and my head hit the door window pretty good, and we scuffled," Thomas said.

"The one gentleman swung at me, and I threw a swing back to defend myself."

He said the confrontation moved outside where a group of about five guards piled on top of him and punched him in the head, he said.

"Somebody grabbed my hair while they were all on me and repeatedly tried to hit my head off the concrete, so I could release my arms, so they could put handcuffs on me.

"With all that's going on, I'm screaming for them to stop."

A source who works at the hospital and witnessed the altercation said security guards engaged with Thomas while he was trying to leave and then pushed him into the door.

The source said Thomas swung back but the security response to that was heavy-handed.

"It shouldn't have happened," said the source,whomCBC is not naming because of concerns fortheir job security.

When April arrived at the hospital around 4:45 p.m., worried about his car crash injuries, she said her brother's face was bleeding and his hands were cuffed behind his back.

She said security guards accused her brother of being "belligerent" and swearing at the nurses. She said she doubts the security guards knew her brother had been in a car accident.

"He clearly was being stereotyped," April said.

Two Winnipeg police officers arrived about 30 minutes later, April said, and uncuffed Thomas.

"We're a good family, and he's a good man, and this should never have happened to him," April said. "You shouldn't be treated a different way because of what your skin colour is."

The family has ties to Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

Const. Jason Michalyshen confirmed Winnipeg police answered a call of an assault involving a man and security staff around 5 p.m. and said no one was arrested.

CUPE 204, which represents the hospital's in-house security, told CBC News it can't comment on the case while the hospital's investigation is underway.

Thomas and his sister couldn't watch the surveillance video for themselves because one of the security guards told April they'd have to get a lawyer to see it, she said. Thomas said he's in the process of finding one.

The facial injuries he sustained, as well as followup appointments, have prevented Thomas from working for at least three weeks.

"Even talking about going there, I get nervous," he said.

Hospital looking at security training: Shared Health

Over the past three years, Health Sciences Centre's patient relations unit has received four complaints about "physical contact" with the hospital's contracted security guards and its in-house security team, according to a Shared Health spokesperson's emailed statement.

"Every complaint received is carefully reviewed, with a followup conversation subsequently occurring with the patient and/or family to discuss the issue and our findings," the spokesperson said.

Shared Health whichoversees health-care delivery in Manitoba says hospital officials have been in touch with Thomas to discusswhat happened.

Thomas said they apologized to him.

"It was a sorry from somebody who didn't do this to me.So the sorry didn't matter," he said.

Hospital officials are identifying more training that may be needed, including in cultural sensitivity, de-escalation and use of force, Shared Health said.

New hospital safety officers coming soon: Shared Health

Rising violence in emergency departments has been raised as a concern by Manitoba's nurses union in the past.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson has been advocating for more safety measures. She has previously said she believes mounting anger and frustration among family members and visitors are linked to emergency wait times.

In December 2023, one in 10 patients waited more than 13 hours at Health Sciences Centre emergency departments, according todata from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Thosenumbers have risen sharply since December 2022.

A Shared Health spokesperson says Health Sciences Centre has introduced a number of safety and security measures at the hospital over the last few years, including cutting down the number of public access points and increasing patrols on campus and in parkades.

Legislation that gives hospital security guards extra powers also came into effect in October 2021.

But Shared Health says they haven't started using the specialized security guards, called institutional safety officers, because they still need to hire and train them.

The agency says they need to hire and train those officers in arrests, searches and seizures, plus use of force, public safety and mental health awareness.

Shared Health has posted 40 of 105 full-time equivalent positions for five Manitoba hospitals. Hiring is expected to start soon, with training, which is being finalized in consultation with Manitoba Justice, to follow.

Once trained, the institutional safety officers will be able to hold intoxicated people in custody and respond to high-risk situations at Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital andVictoria General Hospital in Winnipeg, and Brandon Regional Health Centre and Selkirk Mental Health Centre, the spokesperson said.

Winnipeg man left HSC with more injuries than he arrived with

9 months ago

Duration 3:09

A man injured in a car crash and taken to Winnipeg's largest hospital for treatment in mid-January left with even more injuries and alleges he was beaten by hospital security.