Coroner's inquest into death of Ontario teen at provincial school for blind to begin next month
A coroner's inquest into the death of an Ontario teen at a provincially-run school for the blind more than three years ago is scheduled to begin next month.
Samuel Brown, who was born with a genetic condition that left him blind and deaf, attended W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ont., and was 18 years old when he died. He lived on campus during the week and would return home on the weekends—but on Feb. 9, 2018, his parents learned that Brown would not be making the trip again.
“He came home to us on Feb. 2, he was very joyful, vibrant. He had no issues of anything that we had to be concerned about,” his mother Andrea Brown said back in 2020. “He left on Feb. 4, joyful, we hugged him, we kissed him, we prayed with him and sent him off.”
“We didn’t have any concerns because he wasn’t sick or anything like that.”
At the time, the family had been presented with conflicting reports from medical officials on how Brown died. A coroner's report said he died of natural causes, but an autopsy requested by the family concluded he died of pneumonia.
As a result of the findings and the family's advocacy, the Ontario coroner's office agreed on May 19 to execute an inquest into the death.
Since then, new details have been released by the family that shed some light into what happened to Brown.
An ambulance report, which was provided to CTV News Toronto by the family's lawyer on the three-year anniversary of the teen's death, noted that Brown was experiencing labored breathing around 5 a.m. An hour later, staff found the teen unresponsive with vomit in his airway.
“They rolled him into a recovery position and called 911,” the report said.
Emergency crews conducted CPR until paramedics arrived and Brown was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A day earlier Brown’s parents were notified that he was refusing to get out of bed for dinner.
Andrea Brown is seen with her son Samuel Brown in this photo provided by family.
The inquest into Brown's death is now scheduled to begin around 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 15.
"The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Brown’s death," a statement issued on Wednesday read. "The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths."
The inquest, which will be held via video conference, will hear from about 13 witnesses and is expected to last five days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Joe Biden wants to remind 2024 voters of a record and an agenda. Often it's Donald Trump's
Biden wants the 2024 election to be a referendum on Trump's record and plans, but he also wants voters to look favourably on his own policies and actions
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Here's what 'the hinge' move is, how to do it correctly
When you're picking something up from the floor or bending over to tie your shoe laces, you're performing "the hinge move," according to movement trainers.