Death of Jean-Marie LeBlanc at the Edmundston hospital in 2021: the family awaiting answers

Thirteen months that this family has been waiting for answers to their questions. Since the death of his father, the pain is still unbearable for Gérald LeBlanc. “For us, it’s the cause of death, it’s aggression”

The man criticizes the people in charge of the file for not providing him with the requested information. say because he said it was confidential. “An autopsy report, he tells us, we don’t have it, it’s still suspicious! »

Died in December 2021, Jean-Marie LeBlanc was in his room, hospitalized in surgery for three months, waiting for a place in a nursing home. This smiling and good-natured man, father of a family, died of asphyxiation by food aspiration at the age of 89. “My father he ate well in that time then he spoke after the attack he could not eat anymore it was thickened liquid and he was choking all the time.

Only three weeks before, the patient who shared his room physically assaulted Mr. LeBlanc. The day of his arrival, Steve Thibault tried to strangle him with the cord of his dressing gown, while he was sitting on a chair, having supper. “He had strangled him by the rope, marks on the neck from lacerations on his face”

He was unable to call on hospital staff to warn that he was in danger. “He didn’t have access to the bell there to ring so he didn’t have the chance to ring, I went to see it then it was unplugged from the wall, the employees unplug them from the wall, which is deplorable »

The attacker was found not responsible for his actions and diagnosed with psychosis at the time of the events. “No apology, no apology from the abuser either.”

Despite the many steps taken in 2022, the causes of death remain a mystery. “We want to have more transparency, the coroner called us and then told us that there was a report, we are still waiting”

The family is fighting to demand justice and prove that the assault caused Jean-Marie’s death. “We want an investigation on this that there are clear recommendations. We want the autopsy report, what happened, we don’t want it to happen to anyone else there.