On the third day of the inquest into the death of Ebony Aaron Wood, the coroner’s jury made seven recommendations on how to prevent future loss of life.
Wood fell out of the back of an ambulance and suffered a fatal injury when his head hit the pavement while in the custody of the Quesnel RCMP.
Following an argument with his wife on Nov. 5, 2016, Wood crashed his truck in a neighbour’s yard.
He then walked away into the nearby bush.
RCMP members arrived at the scene, search for him and, eventually, took Wood, 36, into custody.
He later complained of chest and shoulder pain and was transferred to an ambulance.
On the way to G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, Wood got out of the back of the ambulance, falling onto the road. He died two days later in Vancouver.
The jury, made up of five women and one man, heard the testimony that started on Nov. 14 before coroner Donita Kuzma in a Quesnel courtroom.
The B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) and the RCMP were represented by lawyers during the proceedings, after which Wood’s death was ruled to be accidental.
The jurors made four recommendations for the BC Ambulance Service.
They said the ambulance should have two-way communication between paramedics, and the rear-door lock should be moved to limit the patient’s access to it.
The jurors also recommended visual indicators should be added to the vehicles, so both driver and attending paramedic know all doors are closed and locked.
Routine checks should include parts of the ambulance that are operational while the ambulance is in motion, the jury said.
In response to the coroner’s jury’s recommendations, BCEHS executive vice-president Linda Lupini told the Quesnel Observer on Nov. 20: “We are reviewing the jury’s recommendations while we await the coroner’s full and final report on Mr. Wood’s death.”
The jury also recommended paramedics and RCMP receive more mental health and substance abuse training, and that the RCMP should tell paramedics about any harmful behavioural issues patients might have when they are transferred in to their care.
“We take recommendations made by the B.C. Coroners Service very seriously,” Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau said on Nov. 20.
The Senior Media Relations Officer of the B.C. RCMP Communication Service noted the recommendations will be reviewed by the Criminal Operations Branch.
“[They] will research them thoroughly with all stakeholders and will provide a full written response directly to the coroner on each and every recommendation.
“We have to be mindful that any recommendation made could potentially impact on all RCMP resources in B.C. and may require additional training, infrastructure and finances, or may have complex legal challenges associated to any implementation.
“We welcome any opportunity to examine existing procedures and policies as they apply to front-line policing and police operations in order to ensure that we are providing the best policing services to the public.”
The coroner’s inquest heard about Wood’s ongoing drug battle, and that his wife believed he’d been using drugs the night of the incident.