A death that still leaves questions - seven years later (Part I)

The following letter to the editor appeared in The Telegram October 17, 2009 as a response to my piece “The Shocking Truth About Wrongful Death”.  It’s time for Premier Williams to do some needed law reform.  My condolences to the Browne family.

I am writing in response to the letter to the editor from Ches Crosbie, published in your Sept. 29 edition, which you headlined “The shocking truth about wrongful death claims.”

Our family is living with the horrible truth of Mr. Crosbie’s assertions.  Our sister/daughter passed away suddenly in the Emergency Department of the Health Sciences Centre on Jan. 13, 2002.  She was 36.  During 2008, we were provided with very credible information (the source of which would not be appropriate to disclose in this letter) to the effect that our sister had died as a result of medical mistreatment that evening. 

After the initial shock of receiving this type of information six years after her death subsided, we felt we had no alternative but to try to seek out the truth.

Suit useless
As our family did not and does not have the resources to pay for a costly discovery and legal proceeding against Eastern Health, we approached a number of local lawyers that deal with these types of cases on a contingency basis – i.e. they would only be paid from a portion of any settlement or judgment ultimately received.

It was then that we found out what Mr. Crosbie was referring to in his letter.  Our sister/daughter had a relatively low-paying job but had no dependents.  She was a source of constant love, assistance and support for our parents, with whom she lived, but they were not her dependents.

We were essentially advised that, even if we were successful in proving wrongful death, the courts would likely only award a relatively small amount of damages and that such an amount would not justify the time and expense (and risk) that a lawyer would incur in pursuing a matter of this nature.