Hammer attack victim files $800K lawsuit against Royal Ottawa, attacker's psychiatrist
Attacker's care team failed to manage violent delusions, suit claims
The victim of a violent hammer attack in Ottawa has filed an $800,000 lawsuit against not only his attacker, but also the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group and one of its doctors, claiming their negligence contributed to the incident, which left him partially blind.
Nabute Ghebrehiwet was struck in the head from behind with a hammer while standing near the corner of Bank and Somerset streets on Dec. 09, 2014. Subsequent blows left Ghebrehiwet blind in his left eye.
The attacker, 32-year-old Jeff Weber, suffers from a form of schizophrenia. He had been released from the Royal Ottawa two months earlier to transition back to life in the community.
Weber was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon, but was found not criminally responsible in September. The judge ruled it was clear from witness descriptions that Weber had been hallucinating at the time.
On Monday, Ghebrehiwet's lawyer filed a statement of claim on his behalf seeking at least $800,000 in compensation for damages including pain, suffering and medical costs, including costs he expects to incur in the future.
'I don't go out at night'
Ghebrehiwet said the attack has affected his ability to work, as well as his own mental state.
"I don't go out at night ... fear of darkness. I watch more, my back. I don't have good sleep."
The lawsuit names Weber, the Royal, Weber's psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Ward, and the Ottawa Salus Corporation, which manages the transitional home where Weber had been staying at the time of the attack.
According to the statement of claim, the defendants "failed to put into place sufficient or adequate measures to treat Weber when he was suffering from delusions that told him to hurt people."
"We have concerns that 24-hour supervision should have been in place," Ghebrehiwet's lawyer, Frances Shapiro Munn, said Monday.
"We have concerns that perhaps there were signs that another violent attack was imminent, and nothing was done to stop it."
September's ruling was the fourth time Weber has been found not criminally responsible for a serious crime, believed to be a Canadian legal record.
The Ontario Review Board, the body responsible for reviewing the status of anyone found to be not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial on account of a mental disorder, meets Wednesday to decide the next steps for Weber's care.