A man who savagely beat a teen with a baseball bat has been ordered by a judge to pay $6.9 million following civil court proceedings.
In the early hours of June 19, 2016, Kristopher Teichrieb saw Jessie Simpson, 18, in the yard of his Kamloops home and had a confrontation with him that resulted in the two exchanging punches and the teen fleeing the scene with Teichrieb in pursuit.
Teichrieb, who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in criminal court and was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the incident, punched, kicked and dragged the slightly built teen in addition to beating him with the baseball bat.
Court heard that before the attack Simpson had become separated from a group of friends out celebrating the end of the school year and that he had wandered onto Teichrieb’s property.
Simpson’s injuries included a severe skull fracture and significant brain swelling, as well as facial fractures and a notable bruise to his lower back in the shape of a baseball bat.
He was placed on life support and remained in a coma for nine months, and will likely need 24-hour care for the rest of his life and has been admitted to a long-term care home.
Teichrieb, who was 39 at the time of the attack and was denied parole in November, did not respond to a civil lawsuit filed against him that resulted in him being found liable for the assault and battery of Simpson. He also did not appear for the hearing dealing with assessment of damages.
“Regardless of his non-appearance, the court must ensure that an award of damages is fair to both parties,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Dev Dley said in his ruling on the damages award. “Fairness is achieved by ensuring that damages are assessed for those claims that are legitimate and justifiable.”
The judge noted that while Simpson’s doctor found that Jessie had made some progress, further improvements would be minimal and he would likely need continuing full-time care.
“He has been robbed of the ability to lead a normal life and is now unable to enjoy the amenities of life that he would reasonably have expected,” said the judge. “He was a young man about to embark on the post-graduation challenges and experiences of life. Those are forever gone. Instead he is now forever dependent on others to perform the basic necessities of life.”
Damages include $3 million for costs of future care, $1,367,000 for future loss of income-earning capacity and $393,000 for pain and suffering.
Other things Teichrieb will be on the hook for include nearly $1.5 million in health-care services provided to Simpson in addition to $432,000 that the provincial crime victim program has paid for Simpson’s benefit, including medical treatments, medications, rehabilitation modalities, equipment and income support.
