Canadian soldier dies after freak accident at CFB Petawawa

Share

A Canadian soldier is dead following a freak accident at CFB Petawawa that began with a routine oil change on a military vehicle.

Craftsman Kyle Sinclair, 27, a vehicle technician on the base in eastern Ontario, was changing a vehicle's oil Friday night when one of the seats unexpectedly malfunctioned, said his mother, Anna Loveman. The force at which the seat hit Craftsman Sinclair caused severe head trauma and ultimately caused her son's death, she said.

Lieutenant Jean-Francois Carpentier, a military spokesman, said Craftsman Sinclair had been working on a lightly armoured Coyote patrol vehicle at the time of the incident, a spokesperson from the Department of National Defence confirmed.

Others at the base found Craftsman Sinclair unconscious and he was taken to Pembroke General Hospital. He was resuscitated and transferred to Ottawa Civic Hospital, where he died just before midnight Friday, said Lieutenant-Colonel Carla Harding, the commanding officer of Craftsman Sinclair's battalion.

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said the military will be conducting an internal investigation to determine what led to Craftsman Sinclair's death.

"I look forward to whatever recommendations [there are] because the safety and security of our men and women are our first priority. And everyone is saddened and hurt when there is a tragedy like this, but an investigation has to take place," Mr. Nicholson said Sunday at the closing news conference of the Halifax International Security Forum.

Craftsman Sinclair belonged to the 2 Service Battalion and was in a training program with the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

Ms. Loveman said her son had always been handy, but knew nothing about mechanics when he began his training with the Canadian Forces in December, 2012. "He wanted to challenge his mind and to learn," she said.

He joined the military after working several years as a private contractor in his hometown of Whitby, Ont. He loved working with his hands, despite an allergy to wood, and had a successful business. He spent his free time renovating family members' bathrooms or building shelves for them. But none of this scratched Craftsman Sinclair's biggest itch: a desire to protect others. That desire was what prompted him to give up his business to join the army.

"He was wanting to be the protector right from birth, almost," Ms. Loveman said of her son. "From six on, he was really the protector of his younger brother Evan."

He had opinions on how the military should operate differently – especially with regards to discipline of soldiers – and, when he told his mother he wanted to join the Canadian Forces, he offered that as one of the key reasons.

"He wanted a few things changed so he said, 'You have to be the top dog to change things, mum, so that's where I'm going.'"

After receiving military training in Quebec, Craftsman Sinclair later spent time in Borden, Ont., and then moved to the base in Petawawa this past July. He had completed almost five months of a 24-month on-the-job training program.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper described Craftsman Sinclair's death an "unfortunate incident" in a statement.

"This incident is another painful reminder of the sacrifice that our brave men and women in uniform face daily in the defence of our nation's freedoms and liberties, both at home and abroad," he said.

With a report from Jane Taber in Halifax and the Canadian Press in Petawawa