CHILI, New York-- A former Chili Fire Department recruit filed a lawsuit Friday against the department and four other firefighters after an alleged hazing incident last year resulted in a trip to the emergency room and extensive dental surgery.
Scott Cleere, 21, who joined the volunteer department after watching the movie Ladder 49 about firefighters, said a July 24 incident at the department led to two broken front teeth, fractured facial bones and scrapes on his knuckles.
Chili Fire Department Chief Chris Fish said he has not read or received the legal document so he could not comment at this time. Fish said in December after Cleere filed a notice that he planned to sue the department that the event was "innocent horseplay" and the firefighters were suspended.
Cleere became a member of the Chili Fire Department Co. No. 2 last May and remains with the department. According to court papers, he was at the station in July when he was grabbed from behind and around the chest by Kent Wojtylak and strapped to a backboard taken from one of the rescue vehicles by other firefighters. At that time of the incident, Wojtylak was battalion chief in the department, a position he was elected to on Dec. 10, 2003.
Wojtylak did not return a call for comment on Wednesday.
Cleere said his hands were tied together and he was strapped onto the board with Velcro straps. He was carried face down on the floor and then propped against the station's wall.
The board then tilted and he struck the ground face first and lost consciousness, according to the lawsuit. When he awoke the first time, he was in the station building's lounge area.
He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital that night and a CT scan showed multiple fractures of the sinus bones and an X-ray showed a sprained left wrist.
He said that a visit to a local ear, nose and throat doctor confirmed three fractures of the cheekbones. Since the incident, he has been treated for six root canals and crowns to repair teeth. The medical bills and lost wages totaled more than $45,000.
"We approached the fire department insurance company and they told us that they were only going to give us 1/10th of that amount," said Cleere on Wednesday. "That's not even enough to pay for hospital visits and all the medical bills. They said that it was all they were going to give us, so we declined it."
The other firefighters named in the lawsuit were Jennifer Osgood, Jennifer Gates and Chris Hemstreet.
Gates did not return a call for comment. Osgood and Hemstreet could not be reached for comment.
Lawyer Aimee LaFever Koch, who is handling the lawsuit for the Chili Fire Department, also did not return a call for comment.
Cleere said he was not ready to say how much in damages he is seeking from the lawsuit.
Republished with permission of The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
