Child Would Be Alive If Taken to Doc: Pathologist

Child Would Be Alive If Taken to Doc: Pathologist

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 09:12

A pathologist testifying at an inquest in Regina yesterday says if the child had been taken to the doctor, he’d be alive today.

Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim was testifying at the inquest of a three year-old boy who died while in foster care over a year ago.

Brooks-Lim says her autopsy showed the cause of death was pneumonia, a bronchial infection that was in the boys lungs and then filled his chest cavity.

A visit to the doctor would have given him more than a 95 percent survival rate.

The foster parents previously testified that the boy had shown flu-like symptoms in the days prior to his death.

These symptoms were consistent with pneumonia, according to the pathologist.

A reported fall down the stairs and complications from the child’s previous heart surgery were ruled out as a cause of death.