Achi news desk-
An adjourned coroner’s inquest has been scheduled for next week to investigate the circumstances of a man who died in an ER waiting room at Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital nearly two years ago.
Darrell Mesheau died on July 12, 2022.
A witness to the incident said Mesheau waited for hours in a wheelchair in Chalmer’s ER waiting room, before eventually appearing to fall asleep.
“The individual involved was clearly in discomfort,” said John Staples, in an interview with CTV Atlantic on July 13, 2022. “There was moaning and groaning and sighing, they were in some kind of pain.”
“The ER assistant came out, and checked people, and checked this individual. I have done this line of work for 20 years, so when the ER assistant rushed back, very professionally not to raise any alarms, I looked at the individual. I noticed that there were no signs of breathing. No rise or fall of the chest or abdomen. I thought, ‘they’re gone.'”
A coroner’s inquest is scheduled for April 8 to 11 at the Fredericton Inn.
Inquest adjourned after police investigation reopens
A coroner’s inquest was first announced in May 2023, but was abruptly postponed when the new information caused Fredericton Police to reopen their investigation into Mesheau’s death.
Fredericton Police announced their decision not to prosecute in the case, late last year.
Deputy chief coroner, Emily Caissy, will preside over the inquest next week. Caissy and a jury will have the opportunity to give recommendations to prevent similar incidents at the end of the inquest.
Days after the 2022 event, Premier Blaine Higgs replaced the then health minister, Dorothy Shephard, and Horizon Health Network CEO, Dr. John Dornan. Higgs also revoked the boards of elected health authorities Horizon and Vitalité. A labor arbitrator later awarded Dornan $2 million in damages for the firing, which the provincial government is appealing.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.
