Ontario woman stuck, paralyzed in Dominican Republic after 'catastrophic' water slide accident

An Ontario woman is paralyzed and stuck in the Dominican Republic after a “catastrophic” water slide accident led to a fruitless search for a hospital bed in Toronto.

“It’s impossible for me to come home,” Corina McCoy told CTV News Toronto.

On Christmas Day, the 53-year-old from Toronto was visiting a waterpark with her 20-year-old son. Soon after, their carefree vacation came to a halt. McCoy was descending a slide on a tube when someone rammed into her from behind.

Moments later, she was drowning. Her neck had broken and a disc in her spine began to bulge.

“I can't walk, I can't sit up, I have only minor strength to feed myself with my right hand,” she said. “I’m pretty much paralyzed from the chest down.”

McCoy underwent emergency surgery at a local hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Days later, she said her travel insurance claim was accepted and an air ambulance was ready to take her to St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.

But there was a problem.

“I haven’t been assigned a doctor,” McCoy said on Wednesday, already 10 days after the accident. “St. Joe’s says they are happy to take me as a patient, but I don’t know if that’s in one day, two days, three days, four days.”

Corina McCoy and her son while on holiday in the Dominican Republic before her accident took place. Jennifer Stranges, Unity Health Toronto’s senior communications advisor, said they could not confirm or discuss patient information, but expanded on the procedures for out-of-country medical emergencies as outlined by Critical Care Service Ontario.

“The acceptance of a repatriation request happens after a thorough review of the patient’s medical records provided by the sending health facility or insurance company,” Stranges said.

The Ministry of Health told CTV News Toronto that it's the insurance company’s responsibility to find a hospital bed and arrange the transportation. “The patient’s insurance company may call as many hospitals as they can in order to find an available hospital bed,” a ministry spokesperson said.

Orion Travel Insurance, part of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), is working on McCoy’s case.

CAA communications manager Nadia Matos said a bed-find request is immediately initiated once it is determined that a patient can safely fly by air ambulance. Each day, they follow-up with hospitals in the patient’s "catchment area," the zone of their Ontario residence, to find out if beds have become available.

“If a bed is not available, such as in this case, the search is quickly expanded and initiated elsewhere,” Matos said.

However, she said the process can take time since each hospital has internal guidelines as to how beds are allocated, which determines the prioritization of patients awaiting admission.

“Due to the nature of injuries in these situations, patients often require complex continuing care and cannot be safely returned without a secured bed,” Matos said. “Only once an attending physician has accepted a patient and an available bed has been secured are we able to initiate the repatriation process.”

In an update from CAA, a representative said that a bed for McCoy has been secured and she is scheduled to return home tomorrow.

Corina McCoy is seen with her physician at a local hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, McCoy said she is grateful for the urgent care she’s received in the Dominican, but worries she might need a second operation and that her minimal rehabilitation treatment will have long-term consequences.

“Since Dec. 26, if I was at home, I probably would have already had 20 to 30 hours of rehab to learn to walk again…I’ve only had 60 minutes,” she said.

Language has also served as a major barrier in communicating with health-care professionals in the Dominican. Google translate has stood in place of a human translator, which McCoy said she requested from the Canadian consulate. “They said they do not offer that service,” she said.

Global Affairs Canada could not speak to McCoy’s case due to privacy concerns. However, a spokesperson said they are aware of a Canadian seeking consular assistance in the Dominican and are in contact with local authorities.

McCoy says she can see each individual working towards her transfer genuinely wants to help her reach a Toronto hospital.

“It’s just that there is no urgency,” she said.

“There is no one on the other end of the Canadian health-care system.”