'Screaming in agony': Woman suffered needlessly in Winnipeg ER, later died, says son

The family of a Winnipeg woman is considering legal action against the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority after she waited more than two hours for care at Seven Oaks General Hospital before dying nearly a day later at Health Sciences Centre.

RAW: Braham Singh describes mother's death

9 years ago

Duration 2:11

Braham Singh said it’s unclear whether any medical intervention could have saved his mother’s life but he said she was left to endure unnecessary pain at Seven Oaks Hospital in Winnipeg.

An autopsy confirmed 57-year-old, Mohinder Singh, died of a brain aneurysm in October 2015.

• Winnipeg ER wait times worst in country again, report says
• Manitoba NDP promise community health care if re-elected

Braham Singh said it's unclear whether any medical intervention could have saved his mother's life but he said she was left to endure unnecessary pain before her death.

"You go to a hospital expecting that they're going to take care of you," said Braham Singh.

Mohinder Singh first began to feel symptoms of what turned out to be a fatal aneurysm after returning home from work on October 14, 2015. She complained to her husband Darshan Singh of a severe headache.

"Her head was hurting pain [like] she's never felt before, so she just lay down crying in pain," the son said. Braham Singh said his father called an ambulance and she was taken to Seven Oaks Hospital.

After arriving at Seven Oaks, Singh said his father and mother waited for more than two hours while his mother was writhing in pain.

"She was literally screaming in agony. My dad tried going up there asking for help, begging for someone to help do anything for her but no one did anything," said Singh.

"After about two hours of things she finally lost consciousness. My dad was yelling and screaming for help. No one cared no one did anything. It wasn't until my dad started kicking on the door, that's when people came that's when they called a code and took her into an operating room and actually looked at her."

A CT scan confirmed the severity of her condition, said Singh, and after being taken to Health Sciences Centre for further testing, she was pronounced dead.

Singh said if the family had known his mother had an incurable aneurysm earlier they could have made her more comfortable and given her a better death — instead his father watched her suffer waiting in the emergency room.

"We would have at least taken her to a temple … let her have some sort of peace," he said.

Singh said his family is considering suing the WRHA.

"This happened with Brian Sinclair's family. We saw it on the news, it was a big deal, and I felt really bad for the family that they had to go through this. But I didn't understand what they were going through … until now," he said.

• Manitoba looks at overhauling ER layouts after death of Brian Sinclair

Lori Lamont, vice president and chief nursing officer with the WRHA, said the authority is conducting a critical incident review into Mohinder Singh's death and will keep the family updated on any outcomes of the internal investigation.

"We are very sorry for this family's loss and certainly are concerned about the circumstances around her loss," Lamont said.

Lamont added symptoms of aneurysms "can often be related to other conditions."

She said the WRHA's critical incident review will examine whether details were missed and whether new protocols should be put into place in the future.