Skip to content

Inmate sues Kamloops prison claiming broken wheelchair left him injured

James Francis Hughes suffers from partial paralysis and requires aids to allow him to be mobile
21562900_web1_200515-BPD-KTW-disabledprisoner_1

-Kamloops this Week

A prisoner with a disability is suing Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, alleging a broken wheelchair left him with back injuries and vertigo.

James Francis Hughes was arrested on breach charges on March 28, 2019, and admitted to KRCC, a maximum-security provincial prison on the western edge of the city.

Hughes, 62, suffers from partial paralysis and requires aids to allow him to be mobile.

At KRCC, staff put Hughes in a wheelchair to help him get around.

“On or about March 30, 2019, the plaintiff was being escorted by KRCC staff from the yard to his cell in the wheelchair when, suddenly and without warning, the wheelchair broke, causing the plaintiff to fall to the ground and sustain personal injuries,” Hughes’ notice of claim reads.

In addition to the back injuries and vertigo, the document states Hughes also has had trouble sleeping since the incident.

“The plaintiff has received and will continue to receive health care services for the injuries sustained as a result of the negligence or wrongful act of the defendant,” it states.

No dollar amount is set out in the notice of claim.

The provincial government will have 21 days to reply to Hughes’ allegations once it has been served.

None of the allegations in Hughes’ claim have been proven in court.

READ MORE: Three men arrested after police foot-chase in Kamloops

READ MORE: Vernon man arrested after nurse assaulted at Kelowna hospital’s COVID-19 screening desk

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.