Deceased
Paul Reid
Demographics
50y, male
Date of death
2017-05-26
Finding date
2022-12-16
Cause of death
ischaemic heart disease
AI-generated summary
Paul Reid, a 50-year-old Aboriginal man with severe ischaemic heart disease and poor medication compliance, died of a cardiac arrhythmia during his arrest by South Australian Police. He was highly intoxicated (BAC 0.25%) and cannabis-positive when police attended a domestic disturbance call. After arrest, Reid collapsed approximately 7 minutes elapsed before ambulance was called. The coroner found police assumed his unconsciousness was alcohol-related intoxication rather than recognising a medical emergency. Key failure: police did not apply the Brief Coma Scale to assess his impaired consciousness, which would have mandated immediate medical assistance. While the arrest itself was lawful and medical evidence did not support abuse claims, SAPOL's critical deficiency was failure to recognise and respond appropriately to altered consciousness in a high-risk cardiac patient. Earlier ambulance attendance might have offered a slim chance of outcome change, though not proven.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
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