An Edmonton Transit bus driver from St. Albert will never regain sight in one of his eyes as a result of a beating he received from a passenger, according to witness testimony Tuesday.
Gary Edwin Mattson, who has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and assaulting a police officer, beat Tom Bregg around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 3 by punching him in the head three times before dragging him off the bus and repeatedly stomping on his head.
Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes read a note from Bregg's ophthalmologist Dr. Matt Tennant, which stated that Bregg's left eye had phthisis, a condition that sees the eye shrink and collapse in on itself. A consultation letter from a second doctor, Ezekiel Weiss, said the phthisis would eventually become painful for Bregg and would lead to one of two treatments for it.
"The most common treatment is to remove the eye and replace it with a … replica," Innes read from the letter to the court. "The other would be to put a lens over the eye if there is no pain."
However, Dr. Weiss added, the injury site surrounding the left eye would remain sunken in after any reconstructive surgery as a result of the beating.
New memories
Another witness, brain injury and rehabilitation specialist Dr. Julianna Nagy, said that Bregg experienced amnesia for up to five weeks following the beating and had great difficulty retaining new memories until early January when she met him.
"He didn't remember pulling out his tracheotomy tube on December 25, but he was able to remember meeting me on January 7," Nagy told the court. "He was still disorientated at that time with regards to the passage of time and short attention span."
She said that an MRI after the brutal attack showed two abnormalities in his frontal lobe that were not there before, according to Bregg's previous medical records. Two CAT scans show there were cracks in the skull. Nagy also said Bregg had issues with balance and co-ordination and often needed someone to walk with him to help him.
After referrals to speech, occupational and physical therapists and a psychologist, Bregg was released on Feb. 2, almost a month after arriving at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital for care. Nagy said he was able to do basic tasks, such as dress and feed himself. However, she added he still had cognitive impairments.
"He is not allowed to drive and he needs a family member to help him," she said.
Nagy also said that Bregg suffered from poor depth perception and special-depth perception, leading to the recommendation that he not work.
She also said his emotional state changed according to family members. Although Bregg had patience with many things, Nagy said he had become more rude and abrupt, had trouble sleeping and was more irritable, something the nurses in the hospital noted during his time there.
"He was often irritable with the quality of the food and the noise in the ward," said Nagy.
She told the court that Bregg is scheduled for a follow-up visit in June, at which point she can better re-assess his injuries and progress.
Warrants issued
Judge Henry Bridges also issued two warrants regarding two witnesses who made 911 calls regarding Mattson's behaviour earlier in the morning of Dec. 3. According to previous reports, Mattson was causing issues at a residence in the area, leading to both calls, one at 5:15 a.m. and another at 7:23 a.m.
The two women, Eugenie and Priscilla Janvier, were subpoenaed to testify. However, Innes said neither woman had arrived despite arrangements for transportation, housing and meals while they were in Edmonton.
