Seven months after investigating the chilling murder of a young woman in her home, Const. David Bratzer was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
It had been a long day. After working his regular 10-hour shift as a homicide investigator with the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, he’d been called out to a suspicious death in Duncan. He thought his day was finished — until his phone rang again.
Seven months later, Bratzer was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2020, he was one of 579 law enforcement workers — including 115 police officers — who filed a psychological injury claim with WorkSafeBC. ‘Someone had to spell it out for me’ Looking back, Bratzer realized he was drained going into the traumatic murder, then worked throughout the night, 37 hours without a break.
Bratzer started coming in late for work. Even if he woke up at 4 a.m, he would be two hours late for his 7 a.m. shift. Or he would find a reason to leave work early. “I wasn’t fearful for myself. I was fearful for my family. It’s fair to say this was a senseless attack on an innocent family and somehow, in my own mind, I became fearful for my family.”
At first, Bratzer was so fragile, he couldn’t watch any crime shows on TV. But he found that if he got on the rowing machine and got his heart rate up, he was gradually able to watch some shows. “It was emotionally overwhelming and unexpected. I wasn’t prepared for how much it would affect me. It brought back a lot of feeling and images and experiences that I was still coming to terms with. It really shocked me how much it affected me.”“That’s one of the hardest parts of the injury. You don’t realize how badly you are injured until something like that happens. And it helped me realize the limits of my recovery.
On Nov. 1, 2020, the major crime unit began investigating a triple murder in the Whiskey Creek area west of Coombs. Two bodies had been found in a burned-out travel trailer, while a third body was discovered nearby.“I felt really good I had been able to help the team,” he said. “It felt good to go in and accomplish that task. It felt good to be able to contribute to the team,” he said.
“Our primary psychological claim injuries have been rising year over year, which is expected with legislative and policy changes and a post-pandemic world,” said Tanya Houghton, WorkSafe director of special care services.
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