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Family Seeks Homicide Finding in Sepsis Death
21 Apr
Summary
- Family alleges bias and errors in assessment contributed to death.
- Patient died after a 2.5-hour wait in the emergency department.
- Concerns raised about anti-Indigenous racism impacting care.
Heather Winterstein, a 24-year-old member of the Cayuga Nation, died in December 2021 after seeking medical attention twice at a St. Catharines, Ontario hospital. Her family is urging an inquest jury to determine her death by sepsis was a homicide, citing alleged biases and errors in her care.
Winterstein was initially sent home on December 9, 2021, after presenting with severe pain. The attending physician reportedly attributed her symptoms to "social issues" and did not order bloodwork. She returned to the hospital the following day, but collapsed after a lengthy wait in the emergency department and later died.
Evidence presented at the inquest suggests potential anti-Indigenous racism and biases related to substance use and mental health may have influenced Winterstein's assessment and treatment. Her lawyer argued that "actions and omissions" during her medical visits amounted to homicide, asserting that a proper assessment could have potentially saved her life.
The inquest jury is tasked with determining the medical cause of death and whether it was from natural causes, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined. While jurors can make recommendations, they cannot assign legal responsibility or blame.
