Jurors heard the recording of a 911 call on Tuesday as a coroner’s inquest into the drug death of an 18-year-old University of Victoria student entered its second day.
Sidney McIntyre-Starko died of fentanyl poisoning in January 2024 after she and a friend collapsed in a university dorm room after consuming drugs found in a box of coolers a friend found on a street corner.
In the recording, the 911 operator heard how two UVic students were unconscious, had turned blue and were having seizures and one of them was frothing at the mouth.
The 911 operator asked if they were pregnant, diabetic or epileptic, but did not ask if they had consumed drugs.
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The operator went on to ask the caller to assess the patients’ breathing, while in the background. In the background, gasping and wheezing can be heard.
When campus security arrived at the scene, the operator repeated their questions about breathing.
Students have testified at the inquest that when campus security arrived on scene, they asked if anyone had taken drugs. At first the answer was no, but that later changed, the inquest heard.
Roughly nine minutes after campus security arrived at the scene, the 911 operator advised that naloxone be used.
The call ends when first responders arrive.
An independent review by former Abbotsford police chief Bob Rich later concluded that McIntyre-Starko did not get the respiratory support and/or naloxone she needed soon enough to save her life. The report prompted changes to 911 procedures and access to naloxone on university campuses.
On Monday, the inquest heard emotional testimony from the teen’s mother.
The three-week coroner’s inquest can not find fault or assign blame but is empowered to make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.
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