I don't know if you remember a Chinese woman who was bitten alive in the Great Winpit Grassland last August. The woman, Ping Guo, was picking blueberries at the local Doremi blueberry farm.
When Guo Ping's body was found, there was an obvious wound on it. Police initially thought it was a stab wound, but it was later discovered that Guo Ping's body had been moved by animals, and the BC Conservation Service suggested at the time that Guo Ping's death was likely related to a black bear attack. The wounds on the remains were also most likely caused by the claws of the black bear.
But two days ago, the matter took a surprising turn.
Guo Ping's husband, Jun Peng, and daughter Kelsey filed a notice of civil action with the B.C. Supreme Court on Feb. 11. It is believed that Guo Ping's death was not caused by a black bear, but was bitten to death by a vicious dog raised by someone!
Imaged from: Mapleridgenews
Peng and his daughter therefore took Kae-Chang Doong and Changling Zhong, owners of Doremi Blueberry Farm, dog owners Jane and John Doe, and Pitt Meadows to court.
Peng Jun and his daughter described Jane and John Doe as having one or more "aggressive, vicious and dangerous" dogs, and that Guo Ping's death may have been "caused by dogs, not bears."
According to people familiar with the matter, Guo Ping and the farmer's family are acquaintances. After Guo Ping was found dead on the farm, the farmer's family said the harvest season had ended at the time of the incident and that the farm had been closed to the public a few weeks earlier. But on the same day, Guo Ping proposed to pick some leftover blueberries, so she would appear on the farm.
The farmer also speculated that Guo Ping may have been obscured by rows of blueberry trees that day, and did not see the bear around. By the time she finally found out it was too late, it was too late.
If the Peng jun family's allegations are true, then all the farmers' previous speculations are obviously untenable.
Outside the Doremi Blueberry Farm Photo courtesy of Vancouversun
The Peng family claimed that Guo Ping's death was due to the negligence of each of the defendants (the farmer and the dog owner).
In the lawsuit, Peng Jun accused the defendants of not taking any reasonable measures to ensure the safety of the farm, did not warn Guo Ping that there might be dangerous animals in the farm, and did not have enough security systems to ensure the safety of tourists.
Pitt Prairie city also failed to enforce dog control regulations, and the city, which should have known about the presence of aggressive dogs near the farm, did not give any notice to the public or give any notice to the farmer. If you know that dogs are so dangerous, you should at least control them in advance so that you don't hurt people's lives.
The owners of these dogs also have a dereliction of duty, because they allow such dangerous animals to roam around without any control.
Peng Jun demanded that the defendants compensate Guo Ping for funeral expenses and other expenses; as well as the special and general damage suffered by their family; and the injuries he and his daughter suffered in losing their wives and mothers.
The case is still under investigation by the RCMP.
Asked why the Peng family believed the dog and not the bear had killed Guo Ping, Peng's lawyer, Alexander C. McQuarrie, said there was "no comment" at this point.
We will pay further attention to the progress of the case.