A B.C. man who developed severe health complications after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has launched a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company, the federal and provincial governments, and the pharmacy that gave him the injection.
Ross Wightman, 41, of Lake Country, B.C., says he was temporarily paralyzed and developed Guilliane-Barre Syndrome after he was given his one and only dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in April 2021.
“My reasoning for pursuing alternate legal action or other financial compensation is that what was being offered by the government is so inadequate for people like myself who have been injured,” he told The Epoch Times on May 15.
Wightman was one of the first Canadians to have his vaccine injury certified for compensation from the federal government’s Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP). The program offers financial compensation to Canadians who have experienced a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving a Health Canada-authorized vaccine administered in Canada on or after December 8, 2020.
In his lawsuit submitted to B.C. Supreme Court, Wightman says he was not given adequate warning of the potential risks of the COVID-19 vaccine. The lawsuit names AstraZeneca Canada, Interior Health, the federal and provincial government, Verity Pharmaceuticals, Hogarth’s Clinic Pharmacy, and the person who administered the vaccine.
Wightman said he was “generally extremely healthy,” before he took the COVID-19 vaccine in April 2021. Ten days after receiving the dose, Wightman said he experienced “severe back pain,” which led him to go to the hospital.
Wightman developed facial tingling, which culminated with full facial and body paralysis and a diagnosis of Guilliane-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder where the body’s nervous system attacks its nerves. Wightman was also diagnosed with Bells Palsy—a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face. His lawsuit names additional injuries including damaged reflexes and eyesight, weakness of his limbs, and more.
He spent two months in the hospital and undertook months of rehab before he could walk again.
“It’s been devastating... literally from head to toe. I lost hair, my vision was blurry for about a year, and I was in excruciating pain that drugs don’t even touch,” Wightman said of the injury. “There’s really nothing it doesn’t affect, unfortunately.”
Wightman was unable to get a vaccine exemption form, as health officials said they could not prove his condition was caused by the vaccine. He was advised to get a second dose of a different COVID-19 vaccine.
Compensation
Wightman said within days of VISP being announced in June 2021, his wife had heard about it and submitted an application on his behalf. Wightman described the application process as “painful, frustrating, and demoralizing.”“The last thing someone who is injured needs to be dealing with is hunting down these programs or authorities that are already supposed to be there to help you,” Wightman said.
“It wasn’t until I went to the media in February [2022] that it seemed to expedite it. I ended up getting a senior case manager handling my file, and since then it’s been exponentially better.”
Wightman did not qualify for the government’s maximum amount of financial compensation of $284,000, but was eligible for income replacement of up to $90,000 per year.
Wightman said he has spoken to many Canadians who have had difficulty getting their vaccine injuries recognized by their doctors, let alone qualifying for financial compensation through VISP.
“There just needs to be more access to funds and support, in my opinion, for people like myself. [The vaccine injury] obviously affects me, but also my wife and my kids,” Wightman said.
“You know, it’s not just the individual, it’s the family members. The wake of disruption is widespread.”
AstraZeneca did not respond to a request for comment from the Epoch Times by publication time.
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