Luge athlete claims life-altering Whistler crash was culmination of coach's 'selfish' abuse

An athlete who was left with a long list of life-altering injuries after a "catastrophic" crash at the Olympic luge track in Whistler, B.C., more than three years ago has filed a lawsuit claiming the crash was the culmination of years of harassment, bullying and hazing by a coach who put his own goals over a teenager's safety.

Garrett Reid, now 19, has claimed coach Matthew McMurray was abusive towards him while he was racing for the national NextGen team in 2018 and 2019.

The lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court alleged the abuse ultimately led Reid to crash on the fastest section of track at the Whistler Sliding Centre — on an altered sled in a helmet that should have been replaced — during a training run on Nov. 16, 2019.

"Garrett was bullied, abused and harassed constantly by his coach, Matthew McMurray, for years. We were told by Luge Canada to 'keep it in the luge family' and that McMurray would be supervised and dealt with. They did nothing," the family said in a statement Tuesday.

"We are bringing this action now because we want accountability, we want to expose the abuse and failures of Luge Canada in order to protect future athletes, and we want compensation for Garrett."

None of Reid's allegations have been proven. McMurray has not filed a response nor responded to CBC's request for comment.

Luge Canada, accused in the lawsuit of covering up abuse, has not responded in court but sent a brief statement.

"The health and safety of all of our athletes is Luge Canada's first priority. Garrett suffered an unfortunate accident in 2019, which has impacted us all in the luge community very profoundly," read an email.

"With the matter before the courts, we will reserve all further comments on the accident and the case to ensure we allow for due legal process to take place."

Reid grew up in Whistler and started in luge when he was seven years old. The claim said he made the NextGen team at 15, joining the ranks of the country's "next generation of elite luge athletes" under coaches including McMurray.

Luge is widely known as the fastest sport in the Winter Olympics. Athletes ride a flat sled through a course on their back, feet first, approaching speeds of up to 140 km/h.

Early in 2019, Reid had a crash during the lead-up to the Junior World Luge Championship in Austria. The lawsuit said he asked for medical attention because his sled had flipped up and hit the right side of his head, but that McMurray refused and told Reid to "stop asking."

Medical imaging later revealed Reid had fractured his face multiple times, according to the lawsuit. The claim said his racing suffered afterward, which made the alleged abuse worse.

"McMurray heightened his verbal and psychological abuse," read the claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court.