Pot times July 16, 2005
Inquest Clears Police, Medics
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1122/a04.htmlNewshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 INQUEST CLEARS POLICE, MEDICS
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2005 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:
letters@freepress.mb.ca
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Mike McIntyre
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm
(Cocaine)
Cocaine Users Died After Struggles
POLICE and medical officials were powerless to prevent the deaths of two
Winnipeggers who separately overdosed on cocaine in a two-week span, a Manitoba
inquest judge ruled yesterday.
But provincial court Judge Glenn Joyal said the tragic cases are a reminder for
emergency personnel to be vigilant, especially with the increasing prevalence of
cocaine on city streets.
Both victims died of what's known as "excitable delirium," a rare
condition brought on by cocaine use that medical experts say turns the user into
a "ticking time bomb."
Once in that state, people pose an immediate threat to harm themselves and
others and usually become violent and unpredictable. Death can often occur
after any sort of struggle or physical exertion.
Joyal recommended that police follow through with a planned training session for
all officers about how they should restrain and respond to people suffering from
excitable delirium.
Winnipeg police drafted a training policy on excitable delirium in 1998 and sent
a written manual and video to all police districts, court was told. Arthur
Randy Gill, 45, hurled himself through a plate-glass window and fought with
police and paramedics before going into cardiac arrest after being shackled on
Feb.10, 2002.
Police were called to the scene by people who saw a man bleeding heavily from a
large cut on his arm, with his pants around his ankles.
Police believed Gill might have been involved in an assault or break-and-enter
and tried to handcuff him. Gill became extremely violent and fought his
way off a stretcher, kicking a paramedic in the head.
Police shackled Gill and placed him on his stomach, which is a dangerous
position for people suffering excitable delirium, court was told.
Officers admitted at the inquest they never suspected Gill was suffering from
the condition and said they might have handled the situation differently had
they known. Joyal said yesterday the manner of restraining Gill "was
not ideal" but it's difficult to second-guess the police response in what
was clearly a volatile situation.
Less than two weeks later, Laura Lee Draper, 39, stopped breathing as police
tried to control her.
Draper had run to a neighbour's house in the middle of the night on Feb.
23, 2002, claiming someone was trying to kill her. She was foaming at the
mouth and became violent with the residents.
Police struggled to control the woman, who repeatedly "thrashed about"
and was eventually handcuffed for her own safety, the inquest was told.
Several officers at the scene immediately suspected Draper might have excitable
delirium but said they had no choice but to restrain her.
One officer described her as behaving like "a rabid animal" prior to
collapsing.
Draper was pronounced dead at hospital.
"I can find nothing in the police conduct that was or could be called, in
the circumstances, inappropriate or untoward," said Joyal.
"Neither can I find anything in the medical emergency treatment of Ms.
Draper that was unnecessarily slow, inappropriate or inadequate."
