Help Chris Taylor recover from stolen VPD vehicle hit & run

Hi, I am April and I am creating this go fund me to help raise financial support for a dear old friend who was tragically hit by a stolen police cruiser, on October 6th 2024, and after researching every avenue for financial support, has hit a wall. At this time ICBC is covering minimal medical support, ex physio, RMT, but are refusing to cover lost wages due to VPD vehicles being insured by a private entity and the nature of the incident and the parties involved. Currently Christopher isn't even being provided the name of this private insurer and the Police are refusing to cooperate. It has been suggested that once the driver is convicted he could potentially seek financial compensation directly from him, but the chances of getting money from someone with an extensive criminal record are slim. CTV news wrote an article shortly after the incident and I will link that here and copy the text to explain the exact details of what happened. Sadly since the article was released Christopher has reached out to multiple law firms for legal support and no one has agreed to take his case due to the current laws protecting ICBC and the reluctance to go after the police for potential negligence. A lawyer was quoted in the article stating that he would have a number of options to consider and he has reached out to her office directly with no response. At this point he is unable to work and feels absolutely defeated by the situation. He has suffered a severe concussion, whiplash, multiple fractured vertebrae and extensive soft tissue damage. The timeline for a full recovery is completely unpredictable at this point, and the cost of living in BC is outrageous, as we all know. Christopher has unfortunately accumulated debt since this incident, just trying to stay afloat, so any funds raised would go to living expenses and paying down this debt. Any donation would help alleviate stress for Christopher in this situation, and in lieu of a donation, if that isn't possible for you right now, spreading the word about this is also extremely helpful.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/i-m-incredibly-lucky-man-who-stole-vancouver-police-cruiser-hit-cyclist-1.7069013

It all happened within a matter of seconds. Christopher Taylor was biking near an East Vancouver park on a leisurely Sunday morning when he looked left to see a police cruiser barrelling toward him.

He tried pushing with as much force as he could muster on his black fixed-gear bike, hoping to get out of the way.

“I knew it was going to be close, and I heard a crunch and was thrown into the street,” Taylor said.

The driver of the vehicle crashed into the back of Taylor’s bike. Taylor said a bystander rushed over to him as he lay on an adjacent lawn in shock.

“(I'm) very grateful for being able to stand here and talk to you today, that's for sure,” he said.

At the time, Taylor thought he was in the wrong.

“I thought, initially, (that) I got in the way of something very important,” he said. “You know, messed up some sort of pursuit.”

He said a police officer eventually approached him, asking if he had stolen a police cruiser.

“I answered, 'No. I was hit by one,'” he said.

Joyride at park

According to the Vancouver Police Department, a 41-year-old man allegedly stole a police cruiser and took it for a joyride at Templeton Park.

Police say it happened around 10:45 a.m. Sunday, after officers were flagged down by a woman who was screaming in distress near East Hastings Street and Semlin Drive. Police allege Dustin Walter Tallio got into the cruiser and drove it into the park, where families with small children were playing.

Photos show extensive damage to Taylor’s bike. Taylor was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital on Sunday. He said the vertebrae in his lower back is compressed, but that doctors told him he could have had a different outcome.

“They all agreed that I'm incredibly lucky,” he said. “And I agree with them wholeheartedly.”

Taylor said he was upset when he found out what had actually happened that day.

“What if it had been somebody who couldn't get out of the way?” he said. “Or didn't have the reaction to move forward and froze? They'd be dead right now.”

Criminally charged

When asked Monday if police have a protocol when leaving their vehicles, VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said: “Our expectation is that when our officers stop their vehicles and get out of their cars to help somebody, that somebody’s not going to get in the car and steal it.”

Authorities previously announced Tallio had been criminally charged with theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, and failing to stop for police.

“What's the cost got to be before, you know, there's some actual movement in correcting things like this?” Taylor said. "Or people taking accountability for the actions in their lives?”

Sarah Leamon, a criminal lawyer at Sarah Leamon Law Group, said there are a number of options for Taylor to consider.

“If a person is looking for monetary compensation as a result of some kind of injustice or harm that they suffered, then they may consider filing a civil claim,” Leamon said.