MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – A Mountain View County man has filed an official complaint with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for the RCMP following a two-vehicle collision that seriously injured his adult son.
Cody Krebs, a 30-year-old Mountain County resident, was driving westbound on Highway 54 east of Caroline on July 14, 2022 when he was in a collision with a semi at the intersection with Highway 22.
He suffered serious injuries and was in hospital for 105 days. He has been paralyzed from the chest down, his father said.
His father, Gord Krebs – who is a Mountain View County councillor and a Didsbury veterinarian -- is acting as his son’s advocate in the case.
“What is going to make my family happy is not having another family go through this exact thing we are going through now,” Gord Krebs told the Albertan. “We thought it was going to be over but now it’s so far from being over it’s not even funny. Sorry is not good enough.”
The elder Krebs filed the complaint last month after he said he was told by the Crown that a charge against the semi driver under the Traffic Safety Act was withdrawn in Rocky Mountain House provincial court.
His complaint filed with the CRCC reads, in part: “We get a call from the Crown saying all charges are being dropped because the statute of limitations had expired on January 14, 2023 but the RCMP had failed to submit the paperwork to the court until January 24.
“All parties have admitted fault and apologized but no one has offered to any repairs to the system. This has caused significant distress to my family, especially my wife and son, daughter-in-law.
“My son is paralyzed for life, and the defendant . . . has walked away with no penalty of any sort. The public has to been made safer in any way.”
The complaint also states: “The RCMP had six months to do their job, and everyone has admitted that this is wrong, but because paperwork “expired” on someone’s desk, the public is at risk of this professional driver realizing no consequences to his actions.”
Since filing the complaint last month, Gord Krebs says he has also received calls from several witnesses to the crash and he hopes to add further information to his complaint.
He says he attended a Feb. 24 court appearance where he informed the court about the seriousness of his son’s injuries.
Since the collision, Gord Krebs says he has discussed the case with Alberta Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, and legal counsel.
The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP operates under the auspices of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act.
At the conclusion of the CRCC investigation, the RCMP is required to provide the complainant with a report on the matter that will include the findings of the RCMP’s investigation, an explanation of any action that the RCMP has taken or will be taking, and information about the complainant’s right to refer the complaint to the commission for review.
Rocky Mountain House RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Carl Dinsdale did not immediately return a call from the Albertan seeking comment.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the location where the collision occurred.
