Quebec public inquiry underway into assisted death of quadriplegic man after ER left bedsore

A public inquiry into the death of a quadriplegic man begins today in Quebec — over a year after he sought medical assistance in dying following a hospital stay that left him with a severe and painful bedsore.

Normand Meunier, 66, was stuck on a stretcher in an emergency room at a hospital in Saint-Jérôme, Que., for four days in January of last year.

During his stay, Meunier didn't have access to a special mattress and developed a major pressure sore on his buttocks. It eventually worsened to the point where bone and muscle were exposed and visible — making his recovery and prognosis bleak.

He was told the sore — a gaping hole a few centimetres in diameter — would, at best, take several months to heal, according to the experts he consulted.

The day before his death, Meunier spoke to Radio-Canada and said he preferred putting an end to his physical and psychological suffering by opting for a medically assisted death.

Meunier died on March 29, 2024.

In his opening statement on Monday, coroner Dave Kimpton offered condolences to Meunier's family and asked all participants to be respectful, given the "charged emotion" surrounding the man's death.

Moëlle Épinière et Motricité Québec — an advocacy group for people with spinal cord injuries — demanded the Quebec government launch an independent inquiry into what happened at the hospital, following Meunier's death.

The office of Health Minister Christian Dubé also said it was determined to find out what happened and said it would take "corrective action."

Kimpton, who is presiding over the inquiry, will hear from interested parties and make recommendations aimed at preventing similar situations in the future.

The public hearings are being held at the Montreal courthouse between May 5 and 9, May 12 and 16, and June 2 and 6.

Kimpton is being assisted by attorneys Vanessa Nadeau and Pierre-Olivier Bilodeau, and physician Dr. Marc Jalbert, who will act as an assessor.

Throughout the hearings, over 30 witnesses will speak, including: an investigator from the Sûreté du Québec Mascouche, nurses from the CLSC Lafontaine, nurses, family doctors and other specialists working at the Saint-Jérôme Hospital and Meunier's partner, Sylvie Brosseau.

WATCH | Learn more about the story that disability activists describe as 'pure neglect':

A horrific trip to the emergency department led a Quebec man who is quadriplegic to choose medical assistance in dying after he developed a severe bed sore. Disability activists say Normand Meunier's death is the result of 'pure neglect' at the hospital, which should have had the proper equipment and staff to care for him.