Family wants answers after Ornge ambulance delay
A Killaloe, Ont.,-area family is looking for answers as to why their critically ill mother waited close to eight hours to be transferred from a hospital in Barry's Bay, Ont., to Ottawa — a two-and-a-half-hour drive away.
Judy Dearman, 69, came to the Barry's Bay, Ont., hospital last Wednesday because of an infection from a recent bowel operation.
Her son Scott said the hospital in Barry's Bay asked Ornge at 12:30 p.m. to take her to Ottawa for treatment.
When Ornge said the air ambulance wasn't available, the hospital began prepping her for transport by land ambulance.
In the meantime, Judy Dearman's husband Clyde drove to Ottawa only to head back home once he realized his wife was still on a stretcher in Barry's Bay.
Ornge had called the hospital at around 4 p.m. and said the air ambulance was on its way and to cancel the land ambulance, said Scott Dearman.
He said it was closer to 8 p.m. before the air ambulance actually arrived to transport his mother.
She died on Thursday, shortly after Scott Dearman arrived from Victoria.
"The ambulance could have been in Ottawa long before Ornge ever arrived in Barry's Bay," said Scott Dearman. "When you commit a helicopter, get the damn helicopter where it needs to be."
Dearman said it has been hard on the whole family — his own four-year-old daughter in particular was looking forward to seeing her grandmother.
"To have this happen right before our visit, I'm just more sad that my daughter will never know her grandmother," he said.
He also said his father is taking it hard. This Saturday would be their 50th wedding anniversary.
Progressive Conservative MPP Frank Klees said on Tuesday this kind of incident "should never happen."
Health Minister Deb Matthews said Ornge is investigating the incident and cautioned people not to rush to judgment before the facts are known.
It's the second death involving an Ornge call in a week.
Last week the air ambulance service was asked to respond to the crash between a cube van and a dump truck near Stouffville. No chopper was available and the driver died later that morning in hospital.
