Lifeguard charged with negligence in northern Alberta drowning
A 25-year-old lifeguard has been charged following the 2020 drowning of a 34-year-old man at a Fort McMurray rec complex.
RCMP were called to MacDonald Island Park on Dec. 12, 2020, to help paramedics with a drowning in the swimming pool.
The injured man was taken to hospital and later transferred to an Edmonton facility. He died on Dec. 18, 2020.
On Tuesday, RCMP announced that after a "lengthy investigation," the lifeguard has been charged with criminal negligence causing death but an investigator in the case wouldn't explain why exactly.
"What people need to keep in mind is that sometimes criminal negligence has to do with something someone did, or on the flip side, sometimes the offence has to do with something someone omitted to do that was in their duty to do," Const. Denzil Morey told CTV News Edmonton.
Morey said witnesses, staff members and swimmers were interviewed in the case and video of the incident was collected, adding that more details will come out in court.
The accused, now a resident of Calgary, is set to appear in Fort McMurray Provincial Court on Nov. 22.
Lawyer Peter Sankoff said, generally speaking, criminal negligence is hard to prove and has to be more than just what would commonly be considered a "mistake" at work.
"It's not a matter of negligence in a sense of they did a bad job, or they are liable in a civil suit, it's gotta be more than that. To qualify as criminal negligence it's got to be a marked and substantial departure from the ordinary standard care. It's a high threshold," he explained to CTV News Edmonton.
"I don't know the facts of the case, but I'm willing to assume that the lifeguard didn't intentionally fail at what they're doing. So now you're trying to decide that limitation where bad is too bad. And that is ultimately the decision for a jury of your peers."
Sentences for criminal negligence causing death range from probation to a life sentence, Sankoff said, depending on the factors of the case and a person's history.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo declined to comment on the case.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.