A coroner’s inquest into the death of a patient waiting for care in a New Brunswick emergency department has been rescheduled.
Darrell Mesheau died in the emergency department waiting room at Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in July 2022.
The inquest was originally scheduled for last spring but was postponed just days before it started after new information was brought forward.
“As per the Coroners Act, an inquest cannot go forward while a death is still being investigated,” Chief Coroner Heather Brander said in a news release on May 26.
The Fredericton Police Force said it was contacted by the Coroner’s Office in June and launched an investigation.
Months later, however, the police force said it determined there was no criminality involved in Mesheau’s death.
Mesheau’s death, and the public outcry that followed, led to a major shakeup within the province’s health-care system.
Three days later, the premier replaced Dorothy Shephard as health minister, fired Dr. John Dornan as president and CEO of Horizon Health, and dumped the boards of the regional health authorities.
“I’m prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect and improve the health care system in our province,” Premier Blaine Higgs said at the time.
“I have no doubt that every New Brunswicker and all of our healthcare workers are saddened and concerned by this story. We all want to know that when we go to the hospital, we will receive the help we need.”
The deputy chief coroner and a jury will publicly hear evidence from witnesses to determine the facts surrounding Mesheau’s death.
The jury will then have the chance to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances.
“The New Brunswick Coroner Service is an independent fact-finding agency that may not make any finding of legal responsibility,” said a news release.
The four-day inquest is scheduled to begin in Fredericton on Monday.
