A family from Burlington is looking for answers after their 16-year-old son died following a long wait for treatment at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital last year.
They are suing the hospital, demanding an inquest, and advocating for new laws to limit how long children can be left waiting in emergency rooms.
Hazel Van Der Werken recalls her son Finlay’s passing vividly. She remembers the eight-hour wait, the lack of assistance, and the feeling of helplessness.
“I always describe him as a gentle giant. He was six-foot-two, size 15 feet. He had the biggest heart of anyone I know,” said Finlay’s mom Hazel Van Der Werken.
While it’s easy for Hazel to remember Finlay fondly, it’s hard for her to think about how he was taken from her.
“It’s too much to process. It’s the grief of losing a child, of losing Finlay,” said Hazel.
Back in February of last year, Finlay was dealing with a severe migraine.
“On that Wednesday he was quiet for a bit, and then right about after 9 o’clock at night he cried out in pain,” said Hazel.
This prompted Hazel to take Finlay to the emergency room at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, his pain only intensified during the drive.
“His eyes were kind of like ‘what is going on?’ He was scared,” said Hazel.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Finlay was in great distress.
“I was terrified. And I pressed the button that said emergency, and we were promptly told off for doing so. And he just said, ‘please help me,’” said Hazel.
Despite expressing her worries to nurses, no doctor came to see him for hours.
The time just kept dragging on.
“By now, when Finlay looks at me, he turns away because he knows that I can’t help him. And he knows that nobody there is helping him,” said Hazel.
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A doctor finally assessed him eight hours later in the morning and determined he had a severe case of pneumonia; they decided to transfer him to Sick Kids hospital in Toronto.
Before this transfer could happen though, he went into cardiac arrest. At Sick Kids, they placed Finlay on life support but unfortunately his organ function continued to decline.
“He was taken off life support,” said Hazel.
As she and her family try to cope with their loss, she believes action must be taken regarding ER wait times which she feels contributed to her son’s death.
The family is pursuing legal action against Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital while also calling for an investigation into Finlay’s death.
Their petition aims to establish rules that protect children visiting emergency rooms in Ontario from excessive wait times.
“We want there to be legal limits on how long can children wait in an ER before they are seen by a physician. I would hate for another story like ours to come up,” said Hazel.
A statement from Dr. Cheryl Williams, executive vice president and chief nursing executive at Halton Healthcare indicates they’re actively working on reducing wait times by establishing initiatives such as a length of stay committee and command center aimed at improving patient flow.
Hazel believes there’s not one person who should be held accountable for her son’s passing; instead she hopes her efforts will lead towards collaboration and positive change. Currently her petition has nearly 2,400 signatures which you can find here. : Hamilton victim of naked thief attack recovers in hospital
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Hazel believes there’s not one person who should be held accountable for her son’s passing; instead she hopes her efforts will lead towards collaboration and positive change. Currently her petition has nearly 2,400 signatures which you can find here. : Hamilton victim of naked thief attack recovers in hospital
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