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Fall and broken collarbone lead to lawsuit against Langley Township

Man claims he fell into a ‘rock pit’ in Brookswood
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The Township of Langley Civic Facility. (Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance Times)

Langley Township and a property owner are being sued after a local man says he fell into a storm drain and broke his collar bone two years ago.

A claim filed with the B.C. Provincial Court on May 24 says the plaintiff was walking along the side of the road on Aug. 1, 2020 when he fell into what is described as a “sunken rock pit/storm drain” near 200th Street in Brookswood.

It’s unclear whether the injury happened on the road owned by the Township, or on the property of a nearby homeowner. Both are named in the lawsuit.

In either case, the lawsuit claims the landowner or the Township failed to keep the property in a “reasonably safe condition” for use by members of the public.

Although the statement of claim filed with the court doesn’t say when the incident took place, it does accuse the Township of “failing to provide any or adequate lighting upon the Township lands.”

Nearly two years later, the man who fell says the injury is still in need of medical care and treatment, and has caused losses and expenses.

The Township filed a response on July 6 and denied all the allegations, including that the municipality was in any way negligent.

There was a policy for the inspection and maintenance of rock pits at the time, and that the policy was both adequate and was being followed by the Township’s staff.

None of the statements made in the claim or response have been tested in court.

READ ALSO: Langley teen’s sliced finger leads to lawsuit against school district

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Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com
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Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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