Michael inquest plagued by witness no-shows

A coroner's inquest examining the 2009 death of Elisapee Michael in Iqaluithad to contend with witnessesthat did not show up on Friday.

Michael, 52, died several days after she fell down the front stairs of the Nova Inn in Iqaluit on the night of Aug. 8, 2009.

The inquest, which began Monday in Iqaluit, has heard that Michael was first taken to Qikiqtani General Hospital, where she stayed for 3 hours before she was transferred to the local RCMP drunk tank in the early-morning hours of Aug. 9.

Michael stayed in RCMP custody for 14 hours, until officers noticed she was showing signs of brain damage. She was rushed back to hospital, then flown to an Ottawa hospital, where she died on Aug. 13.

Throughout the inquest, paramedics, doctors and RCMP officers told the six-person inquest jury that Michael was intoxicated on the night of Aug. 8. Her condition had an impact on the way she was treated, the inquest has heard.

A friend of Michael's family was supposed to testify Friday by video conference from Ottawa, but she was not present. Another no-show was a taxi driver who was there on the night Michael fell down the hotel stairs.

The absence of witnesses frustrated some of the inquest lawyers, who have been trying to piece together the events that led to Michael's death.

Nurses noticed bruising

John Daley, an RCMP cell guard who was on duty when Michael was brought in on Aug. 9, told the inquest by pretaped video statement that he noticed nothing out of the ordinary with her that morning.

But Linda Lafontaine, a nurse who was working at the hospital when Michael was brought from RCMP cells back to the hospital, testified that she saw bruises on Michael's body, along with a scrape on her breast.

Having already heard about Michael's medical history, Lafontaine said she didn't believe the bruises and the scrape fit the description of a fall. Other nurses also thought Michael's bruises appeared unusual, she said.

Another hospital nurse, Leona Davis, testified via videoconference that she had told police the hospital could not take back Michael during the day on Aug. 9 because the emergency room was really busy at the time.

More RCMP officers, a detachment guard, a paramedic and a pathologist are expected to testify when the inquest resumes next week.