Injured — twice! — in the line of duty

‘Unluckiest’ officer finds a way to chuckle over his bad luck

When Shawn Smith visited his doctor after breaking his ankle last month, the physician mused: “you must be coming in to check how many lives you have left.”

That’s because the Hamilton police constable who shattered his ankle when he fell during a difficult arrest, had already been hit by a car on the job less than a year before.

Smith, an 18-year veteran officer, was working patrol on Aug. 1 when he was called to a domestic situation in Dundas. While trying to make an arrest, he fell.

“It made this God-awful pop, sounded like a firecracker going off,” Smith said of his ankle.

At first he thought it may have been dislocated and tried to stand up, but the ankle was so bent he said he was almost standing on his shin. Everything was numb — it was actually a very serious break that required surgery he’s still recovering from.

Smith’s name will also be familiar to Spectator readers as one of the former ACTION officers charged — and found not guilty — of writing fake tickets that targeted vulnerable people downtown. During the trial he testified, like the other officers, to being sloppy with his notebooks.

Some officers who face serious discipline or investigations have a hard time coming back to work, but Smith says that’s not him.

“A lot of people get bitter ... let a black cloud hang over their heads and want out of the organization,” he said. “I’m of a different mindset ... it is what it is, I just chalk it up to being part of the job.”

During the ACTION case he had been suspended for about two years when they were found not guilty in April 2017.

Smith was back at work only a few months when, on Sept. 22, he was doing speed radar enforcement on Highway 6 and an SUV hit him. He said he was standing on the side of the highway and clocked the driver going 50 kilometres over the limit, so he waved the driver over.

Instead, the car hit another vehicle and hit him. Photos from that day show a red SUV with a smashed in front windshield, and a witness reported seeing the driver pour out what looked like a beer.

Smith remembers lying in the ditch, trying to catch his breath. He suffered a concussion, whiplash that still gives him headaches, and a fractured L5 vertebrae. He was off work until Halloween. Then just nine months later broke his ankle.

In another twist, Smith is under investigation for his actions standing on the side of the road that day after a complaint to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), confirmed Hamilton Police Association president Clint Twolan.

Smith says he was standing on the side of the road when he waved the car over.

After he broke his ankle, Twolan shared the news on Twitter, saying “the HPA wishes him a speedy (and) full recovery. Our officers risk personal injury with every incident they encounter as they serve the citizens of Hamilton.”

With his latest injury, Smith says he thinks he’s healing quicker than expected but still doesn’t know when he will be able to return to the job.

Smith said that growing up he played lots of sports and never had a broken bone before this unlucky year.

Fellow officers like to joke with him that’s he’s “the unluckiest Hamilton police officer.”

But all Smith wants is to get back to work.