Justice for Jamin

My name is Lynda Knight, and I am Jamin's mom. Her name is pronounced Jameen, by the way. Sorry my girl for giving you a name nobody knows how to pronounce-yet!

I am raising these funds to help provide for this beautiful and very capable young woman who is now unable to work, and in need of medical supplies, caregiver support, and help with all the basic costs of living such as groceries, rent money, and fuel as a result of a workplace accident on a construction site in West Kelowna, BC.

The picture you see above was taken the day before the accident. Here she is now:

Jamin was injured in May of 2021 while working at ground level when a concrete form panel three stories high was erroneously loosened off and struck her on the head. As a result of that accident she suffered a traumatic brain injury and was also exposed to extremely toxic industrial materials. Her employer did not provide any form of first aid when the accident occurred, did not transport Jamin to the emergency room, and failed to report the incident to Worksafebc. As a result, the severity of the accident and potential health concerns related to environmental exposure was not recognized and has led to devastating consequences for her health and well being.

The materials Jamin was exposed to include wet concrete, a form release agent which is made of diesel and other oil products, and OSB board or plywood, which is composed of thin shavings of wood glued together. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards for this type of exposure are to immediately remove all clothing, wrap it in plastic and discard of it, and wash the affected areas immediately on site for 60 minutes with cold soapy running water. Instead, as no first aid was given and no-one called 911 from the worksite, and because she was in shock and concussed and not able to take care of herself, none of these protocols were followed. Had proper care been taken, this nightmare lasting almost two years now would have been averted.

Despite the fact that the symptoms Jamin is experiencing align precisely with the OHS and Worksafebc literature on exposure to these chemicals, and thousands of workers each year report them to WCB, Worksafe has denied her claim, taking the stance that her health symptoms are a result of her previously existing mental health conditions. Jamin was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder and adhd many years ago and has managed very well under the care of her long time psychiatrist, who has consistently reported to WCB since the accident that her symptoms are not attributable to her mental health diagnoses, but that the accident has certainly exacerbated her previous concerns, in addition to the obvious physical effects from the accident.

Jamin's GP repeatedly reported to WCB that these symptoms were outside her scope of practice and requested that Jamin be seen by a WCB doctor specializing in this area, but WCB refused her requests. Every health care practitioner who has seen Jamin since the accident has reported to WCB that Jamin is clearly unable to return to work and is experiencing debilitating symptoms as a result of the accident, yet WCB has made the decision that she is not entitled to any form of financial compensation, medical entitlements, or vocational rehabilitation. We are currently in our second appeal of this decision, the first one being denied by the board after taking 10 months to review it.

The effects of long term exposure to these toxins is frightening- brain failure, chronic infections, dementia, scarring, extreme anxiety and aggravation, and shortening of life.

In Jamin's words it felt for months like her head had been doused in kerosene and lit on fire. She spent hours in the bathroom every day washing and trying to pull the debris out of her face and head. The feel of air on her skin was excruciating. She could find no relief. What she's experiencing is almost certainly a severe allergic reaction and nerve dysregulation due to the materials she came into contact with, but astoundingly we haven't found a medical practitioner who knows how to treat this!

Jamin is passionate about her chosen career in carpentry. She completed the Women in Trades training program at the Vernon Okanagan College campus, and the 7 month foundation program for first year carpentry/joinery at the Kelowna campus. She was the most educated worker on site when the accident occurred, and the only one with any first aid training, and was working in close proximity with two other employees at ground level. The form panel could have easily struck any one of them.

Jamin is a beautiful soul, encouraging, motivated, helpful, and she's always had a desire to live a good healthy life. She was starting her own company and determined to create a beautiful company culture for her employees. She is creative and skilled in so many different ways- as an Eminence Organics facialist, a personal trainer and bodybuilder, doing electrical and mechanics, towing people out of the ditch and helping fix their vehicles... Now, because of the behavioral changes that are symptoms of the toxin exposure and brain injury and her inability to communicate effectively, people who didn't know her before the accident don't see who she really is. She can come across as an abrupt, aggravated person, and that's one of the worst things about this. Here are a few photos from before the accident;

What Jamin wants the absolute most is to be able to go to work again doing what she loves and is really good at- building stuff, with a good team around her.

We will eventually win Jamin's claim with the Worker's Compensation Board, we just have to. It's unbelievable how much of a fight it's been

Thank you for reading Jamin's story, everyone. Any help you can offer is so very much appreciated.