By Clare Ogilvie
The Province
VANCOUVER, Canada — A B.C. Coroner’s jury has recommended that more be done to look after people with head injuries while they are in police in custody.
The jury said it wants ambulance workers to take drunks who have also had head trauma directly to hospital for assessment.
The proposed rule — that where there is both intoxication and possible head injury, the paramedic must default to head injury — comes in the wake of the 2008 death of a Maple Ridge man who died while in police custody.
Coroner Vincent Stancato has ruled the death was an accident.
Ian Alexander Young, 55, was arrested in October 2008 after police found him lying on the side of the road.
Young had been drinking with friends, though not heavily, the jury heard. A few blocks from his house, he fell and hit his head on a curb.
He was treated by paramedics, but not taken to hospital, before being turned over to police.
Young was found dead several hours later in his cell.
The medical cause of death was a massive brain injury as a result of blunt-force trauma, with chronic alcoholism playing an underlying role.
The coroner’s jury made several recommendations to both the RCMP and the B.C. Ambulance Service:
• That the Fraser Health Authority consider developing staffed sobering centres so that emergency responders have an alternative to hospital or jail;
• That the ambulance service include special instructions directed to police for the care of people in custody who are intoxicated or who have suffered a head injury;
• That the RCMP consider a review of all cell conditions in the drunk tank, including flooring, access to blankets and safe transfer procedures to and from the cell;
• The RCMP enter the cell every hour where there is a questionable consciousness; and,
• That all senior RCMP members receive Level ll first aid training.
Republished with permission from The Province