The wife of a man injured in a widely publicized assault last week is pleading for witnesses to the incident, saying the attack has left her husband unable to support the family.
Christopher Thomas was outside the Rusty Gull pub in North Vancouver just before midnight Dec. 16 when he got into a dispute with two men. One of the men reportedly punched Thomas in the face, knocking him to the ground. The men fled.
The attack was widely reported in local media - largely in lighthearted terms - because the two suspected assailants were wearing Santa suits. But the incident was no laughing matter, according Thomas's wife, Christina.
"He's on 24-hour watch (at the hospital)," she said. "They give him CAT scans every day. . . . I don't know how long it will take him to get back to normal."
While Thomas didn't initially appear to have been seriously hurt in the encounter, and was released quickly from hospital after a cursory examination, it became apparent the next day that something was seriously wrong.
A friend, noticing Thomas was behaving strangely, took him back to emergency to get a second opinion. It turned out the fall had caused extensive bleeding inside his skull and swelling on the brain, according to Christina. He was quickly admitted to intensive care.
"He could have died if his friend hadn't brought him back," she said. "That's usually what happens (with this injury): You fall asleep and you die."
While doctors were able to save Thomas's life, the effects of the injury have left him completely incapacitated. By Wednesday, he was able to open his eyes and speak, but he had lost much of his motor control, and what he said was still making little sense.
"He was saying weird things. Like he said his friend was sleeping on the sixth floor and he said: 'Where are you living, on the fifth floor?'" said Christina.
Christina said doctors expected Thomas to remain in hospital for another three weeks. It wasn't clear how much of his brain function he was going to recover, she said.
Adding to their worries about Thomas's wellbeing, his condition has left Christina and their two young children, four and seven, in a serious bind. The family relies almost entirely on Thomas's income as a stonemason for their livelihood, she said. With her husband unable to work and no clear indication as to when he can return to his job, she's not sure how they're going to make ends meet.
They have space in their home she might be able to rent out, she said, but beyond that, with a child who's too young for school, she's limited in her options.
"He's got two young children to support," said Christina. "We're kind of screwed right now."
Christina doesn't pretend her husband is entirely blameless. Thomas was inebriated on the night of the confrontation, she said, and in fact, according to the owner of the Rusty Gull, he had been asked to leave the premises shortly before it took place. She has also heard he said something to the two men that may have prompted them to lash out, but she feels the alleged attackers should nonetheless be held to account.
"I don't know if he initiated it but . . . they should have just walked away they should have left him alone . . . somebody should just have put him in a taxi and sent him home, the bar owner should just have put him in a cab," she said.
She's hoping the North Vancouver RCMP can at least find her husband's alleged assailants.
Although the officers who responded on the night deemed the incident to be a minor one and dropped their investigation, the detachment reopened Thomas's file when the extent of his injuries came to light.
Christina is also asking any witnesses who may have information - particularly a bar patron who, by one account, knew the identity of one of the men - to come forward.
"I'm really adamant on finding these guys, at least the one who knocked him down. I want people to come forward if they know anything."
Anyone with information is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311 and mention file number 2011-36094 or ask for Cst. Shane O'Neil.
