By Doug Draper
An Ontario Provincial Police letter circulating through some hands says tentative dates have been set for an inquest by the province’s chief coroner, Dr. Andrew McCallum, into the circumstances surrounding the death last December of Fort Erie teen Reilly Anzovino.
Reilly Anzovino
Reilly died following a December 26, 2009 traffic accident on a stretch of Hwy. 3 in her hometown of Fort Erie. The 18 year old, first-year college student was ambulanced to an emergency department at a hospital site in Welland where she was pronounced dead.
Many in the Fort Erie area, including her parents and other members of her family, wonder if she may have survived had the emergency rooms not been closed by the Niagara Health System at the Fort Erie and Port Colborne hospital sites earlier that year.
“I am extremely pleased (that the inquest) is going to be held in Fort Erie where it belongs,” said Craitor who was among the very first to contact the chief coroner’s office for an inquest. “I am also very pleased that it seems to be going ahead so soon,” he said, adding that such inquests usually take much longer to get underway.
In a prepared statement this October 14, Ontario Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said; “I am pleased that the Anzovino family finally has a firm timetable to receive answers on the tragic and untimely death of their daughter, Reilly. “I promised the Anzovino family that I would use all of the tools available to my office to obtain answers about the circumstances that led to Reilly’s passing,” Hudak added.
“I have raised this matter in the Legislature with both the Premier and the Minister of Health and will continue to do so. The Anzovinos, and all Fort Erie families deserve to know whether Reilly’s life could have been saved had the emergency room at Douglas Memorial Hospital remained open. …There are many unanswered questions about this tragedy including the impact of the Local Health Integrated Networks’ decision to close the emergency rooms in Fort Erie and Port Colborne.”
Niagara At Large attempted to contact Reilly’s mother, Denise Kennedy, for a comment but so far she has not been available. If and when she shares a comment on this latest development, it will be added to this story.
(Visit Niagara At Large at http://www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater binational Niagara region.)
Niagara At Large 
The coroner’s office can – and should – take its own time in setting up and conducting an inquest. It is an independent investigative body. The ancient ‘crowner’ (hence coroner) originally acted for and under the protection of the king (the ‘crown’) to look into questionable deaths of his subjects, possibly at the hands of their local almost all-powerful baron and the like (nowadays corporations like NHS?). So, a crowner came into an area, poked around, and reported back the truth to the all-powerful king who then might take appropriate action. The present day situation is similar – except the final report goes out to the sovereign people in a democracy. Modern Canadian coroners are all doctors who ‘may’ probe into several ‘layers’ of possible causes of death. Foremost is the immediate cause (eg., abdominal bleed and shock due to?). A pathologist’s autopsy helps there. The next layer is called the proximate cause (eg., MVA in icy conditions). Police reports cover that. Another more distant layer is the contributing cause(s) (eg., delay in getting to a hospital due to closure of the once nearest ER). Who can, and will, help with that area is a moot point. Any coroner’s report is only as good as the depth – and extent – of its inquest. Leave out or gloss over the last layer and the inquest could be useless. I’d suggest that people not try to rush things or quibble about irrelevancies. But do insist upon dogged thoroughness in looking into all three layers!
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