Staff and police worked tirelessly to revive a man who suffered cardiac arrest in an aisle of the Super C supermarket in Drummondville at around 5pm last night.
The first emergency call was made at 4:12 p.m. when the man suffered a heart attack near the supermarket checkout. An exceptional situation arose when paramedics took more than 25 minutes to arrive at the scene due to a lack of ambulances in the area, according to information obtained by Vingt55 and authorities. The initial arrival time of Pierreville paramedics was estimated at 30 minutes as no ambulance was available in Drummondville.
The man, an octogenarian, was shopping with his daughter at around 5:12 p.m. when the man collapsed, confirmed the papal spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec, Louis-Philippe, in an interview with Le Vingt55. The man suffered a heart attack. Unfortunately, he died on the spot and was only transported to hospital at 5 p.m., more than 45 minutes after falling ill, when resuscitation efforts were suspended, confirms the spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
The 25-minute delay until the first paramedics arrived was felt by employees to be excessive.
The store's lack of an automated external defibrillator (AED) was heavily criticized by employees and customers during the procedure, as was the victim's lack of privacy. The man collapsed to the ground and 911 was immediately called for an ambulance. At one point, the man had a pulse but eventually lost consciousness and later died in front of helpless customers. Unfortunately, no automated external defibrillator (AED) is available on site or nearby, employees and customers confirmed on site.
During this time, employees initiated resuscitation maneuvers and had to count on the help of the police, who arrived within minutes of being requested, according to a customer who remained on site throughout the operation.
Rescue attempts and resuscitation maneuvers continued for another 25 minutes before paramedics arrived at 4:40 p.m. to treat the still unconscious man. The resuscitation maneuvers were stopped at 4:52 p.m. at the request of his daughter, who was present and witnessed the procedure, as confirmed by several witnesses on site and the authorities.
The victim was evacuated at 5:00 p.m. and covered with a white sheet while authorities contacted the coroner to take further action and close the death file. However, no action was taken to prevent customers from approaching the victim's body, sparking outrage from both staff and customers who witnessed the situation. Customers moved freely around the victim and responders, a situation that many customers and employees found unacceptable.
According to employees and customers who contacted Vingt55, no steps were taken to provide the man with a dignified and respectful death.
A customer is outraged by the situation and points out that the man died near the machines, in front of customers who continued to pay for their purchases. Store management did not appear concerned about the need to set up a privacy zone or temporarily close the store, which would have allowed first responders to act more gracefully. A concerned customer believes that “temporarily closing the doors and allowing access to customers would have been the least she could have done.” »
Staff were in shock, customers had difficulty understanding the long response times and the situation, while the man unfortunately succumbed despite attempts at resuscitation. The coroner was informed of the situation but no investigation was opened, suggesting a death of natural causes.
As for the emergency services, officers were quick to comment on the situation and confirmed that the delays were indeed caused by an ambulance not being available at the time of the initial call.
“Our four Drummondville paramedic teams were already engaged in urgent interventions,” explained Francis Brisebois, director of public affairs and partner and media relations, during an interview with Vingt55.
“It was paramedics from the assistance zone who went to the scene of the victim's cardiac arrest, which was actually in a public place,” the Dessercom spokesman added in an interview with Vingt55. The work of the paramedics also takes place in collaboration with the police. Yesterday, employees of the Sûreté du Québec of the MRC of Drummond provided rapid assistance on site during paramedic operations such as in this case, the Dessercom spokesman added.
According to information collected on site by Vingt55 and confirmed by the authorities, Dessercom and the Sûreté du Québec, Super-C employees initially attempted resuscitation maneuvers. Qualified first responders also took over the task and performed resuscitation maneuvers while waiting for paramedics to take over.
The Sûreté du Québec police officers called to assist intervened less than eight minutes after the first call for the DEA, as confirmed by Louis Philippe Ruel, spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). The management of the ambulance fleet is continuously adapted with various partners such as the CIUSSS MCQ, the CCS and ambulance companies, confirms Mr. Brisebois
Customers did not question the quality of work of first responders, police officers or paramedics or their efficiency.
However, they point out that a city like Drummondville, particularly a metropolitan area, due to the large population of more than 100,000, it should not be appropriate to review staffing levels for a number of citizens and such a large area. they mentioned at the end of an interview with Vingt55