The health of the woman, who was allegedly neglected by her partner in horrific circumstances, was so deplorable that she had very little chance of survival in hospital, according to a doctor.
• Also read: Accused of letting his nearly paralyzed wife die without care
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“We are never 100 percent sure, but it is difficult to imagine how she could have gotten out of this situation despite the treatments we tried to give her,” said Dr. Véronic Thibault testified on Monday and indicated that Johanne Bilodeau had suffered from a “severe infection.”
Dr. Thibault had examined this 58-year-old woman who died less than 24 hours after being transported by ambulance to the Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital in September 2020.
This is because Ms. Bilodeau’s spouse, Bruno Turcotte, allegedly failed to provide her with basic medical care in the weeks and months before her death, the lawsuit says.
Therefore, he had to undergo a jury trial for involuntary manslaughter presided over by Superior Court Judge Daniel W. Payette.
Dehydrated
The 61-year-old man had been caring for his wife since she suffered a stroke in 2011, which left her with serious consequences.
But in the hours before her death, Ms. Bilodeau suffered from nutritional and fluid deficiencies, as well as painful wounds, we discovered at the hospital.
“The most plausible hypothesis is that she does not have an adequate dietary intake in terms of proteins,” concluded, among others, Dr. Thibault.
Photo taken at the funeral of Johanne Bilodeau, who died in September 2020. Free photo
Although the medical team tried everything to save her, her family wanted to avoid the “relentless” intensity of care she received. They wanted to prioritize Ms. Bilodeau’s “comfort” over extending her life.
Given her “advanced malnutrition” and her “deconditioning,” there is “a chance that we will be able to bring her back.” […] At that point, it was already very, very unlikely that a good quality of life would be achieved,” explained Dr. Thibault.
Unrelated to
Under cross-examination, Me Marc Labelle, who is defending Bruno Turcotte alongside Me Claudia Doyle, wanted to know whether Ms Bilodeau had been provided with food and water in the hours after her arrival at the hospital.
“It is not the food consumed that rapidly changes their overall condition,” argued Dr. Thibault.
The health worker was also pressed to explain why fear for Ms. Bilodeau’s life was so great, even though the presence of certain bacteria was only confirmed after her death.
Nevertheless, Dr. Thibault said there was enough evidence that the victim was suffering from a serious infection.
For his part, emergency doctor Francis Quintal testified that Ms. Bilodeau’s condition continued to deteriorate despite her treatment.
The case continues Tuesday at the Laval courthouse.
– In collaboration with Erika Aubin
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