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Parents' grief lives on as son's fatality inquiry wraps up
By Editor
On the last scheduled day of a fatality inquiry into his death the parents of Vince Motta can now only wait for the judge's recommendations.
The Mottas have sat through every day of the two-week inquiry into their son's death after a routine appendectomy performed at High River Hospital on Jan. 1, 2001 cost him his life.
On the last scheduled day of the inquiry the Mottas said while they have hope that this process can make a change, overall the health care system failed their son and still cannot be trusted. 'They are doing a good job in (the fatality inquiry),' Vince's mother, Pina said. 'They are trying really hard to change the health care system.'
Changes that are badly needed, say the Mottas.
'It can't go on like this,' Pina added. 'There will be more lives lost.'
Before going to the High River Hospital with severe stomach pains Motta and his mother had gone to two Calgary hospital emergency rooms.
At Rockyview Hospital the pair left immediately due to the long lineup and went to Foothills Hospital. At Foothills they waited four hours. When they were told Motta would likely have to wait several more hours, they left.
Later that evening, as Motta's condition grew even more serious he was taken to High River Hospital where he was seen immediately.
Following the emergency appendectomy, Motta went into a severe asthmatic attack. High River Hospital staff called for a STARS helicopter to transport him to Rockyview, in Calgary, where two hours of attempting to resuscitate the 23-year-old failed.
Over the two weeks provincial court Judge Manfred Delong heard about many mistakes and inefficiencies in Alberta's health care system that affected Motta's case.
Discussions have centered around the specifics of his case and issues that face everyone using Alberta's emergency rooms.
The handling of administering the anesthetics to Motta, an asthmatic, came into question when it was revealed that a High River Hospital nurse and emergency room physician deemed it unnecessary to give Motta, an asthmatic, medicine required for smokers and asthmatics being anesthetized. Motta was also not informed of the possible complications, as he should have been, said the High River Hospital emergency room physician who oversaw Vince's case, Dr. Lynne Teasell at the inquiry.
Further, when Motta did have an asthma attack after the surgery the hospital's staff was not able to assemble a machine, called a Nebulizer, which would disperse Ventolin, a bronchial dilation medicine into his lungs. It was also discovered that the hospital's pharmacy did not have Ventolin on hand.
When it was deemed necessary to send Motta to Rockyview Hospital more problems ensued.
Nurse Beverly Andrews related to the judge how the STARS helicopter was unable to land at the designated landing spot as the key to a locked gate, providing access to the High River Hospital, could not be found. Minutes later when the helicopter reached Motta by landing in the hospital parking lot it was discovered an emergency flight physician was not on board. The paramedic and nurse on board the helicopter said they did not hear the alleged repeated offer of Teasell, to accompany Motta to Calgary.
Since Motta's death the Headwaters Health Authority has built an unlocked helicopter landing pad adjacent to the hospital, assembled the Ventolin dispersing machine and stocked intravenous Ventolin.
Tom Motta said he would like to see the landing pad named after his son.
A year-and-a-half after their son's death the Mottas agree that the problems that led to their son's death have not been resolved.
'I don't see a change yet,' said Pina.
Her husband agreed and added that emergency services cannot be trusted.
'I would never take anyone in my family into emergency,' he said. 'I would call an ambulance so I know they will be seen right away.'
The Mottas are calling for sweeping changes in the way the government is funding health care. They say the wasted time Motta spent waiting to see a doctor at the Foothills Hospital emergency room, has got to end.
Emergency room waits are a problem that has been growing in severity for over five years, reported Robert Abernethy, Rockyview medical director for the Calgary Health Region, at the inquiry.
The lack of in-patient beds in other hospital departments have caused many patients to stay in emergency beds much longer than necessary, several emergency services annual reports indicated. The problem has left ‘acutely ill patients', like Motta, lined up in lobbies of the three Calgary area hospitals without medical help.
'There needs to be more hospitals,' said an emotional Tom. 'There should be a hospital in the Shawnessy area. If I don't see changes after this inquiry I will never stop (lobbying for change).'
It is not known when Judge Delong's will make recommendations.
Five youth rescued from the Sheep River
By Editor
Okotoks fire and rescue officials are asking people to stay away from the Sheep River, after rescuing five young teens from the raging waters Sunday.
Rob Mackenzie, deputy chief of Okotoks fire department, said recent drownings such as the missing man in the Highwood River and the two recent drownings in Creston and Lake Louise show the extreme risks people take when they get too close to the river.
Despite the lesson of the recent tragedies the five youths failed to negotiate the quick moving murky water of the Sheep River Sunday afternoon and had to be rescued.
First, two young teenage boys were stranded on an island west of the Sheep River subdivision when their tube was flipped over by a strong current.
The pair, who were doubled up in a boating tube, luckily capsized near an island.
'They got caught in a strong current and overturned,' said Mackenzie.
They managed to make it to safety but realized they could not swim the 75 feet to shore.
After the boys waited several hours some passersby on the shore's remote walking path saw the stranded duo and alerted the Okotoks fire department .
Rescue personnel used a Zodiac boat and two rescue members in cold water suits to ferry the boys to the shore.
'Just as we rescued them three more (youth) came down in a poorly inflated toy dingy,' said Mackenzie.
The trio, two boys and a girl, landed on an island upstream from the dangerous current and were rescued by the Zodiac when the first pair were safely ashore.
Mackenzie said only one of the five youth was wearing a life jacket and said the toy dingy was unsafe to use on the river at any time as it could easily be punctured by sharp rocks or twigs.
'The main message we want to send is stay off this river right now,' Mackenzie said. 'It is very dangerous. The current is strong, there is a lot of debris, undercurrents and snares. It looks like a lot of fun but it is very dangerous.'
He added that people should not attempt boating or any type of recreation on the Sheep River until it has subsided to a normal level.
Currently, the river is under a high stream flow advisory from Alberta Environment, as are most rivers in the south part of the province.
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