'Our child shouldn't have laid there': Mother waits hours on roadside with dead son

The mother of a boy killed in a roadside crash last year says the coroner's response to her son's death wastoo slow.

Conor Shea, 14, died Jan.17, 2016, when his snowmobile collided with a car on Route 14 in Pleasant View, Prince County.

His mother, TishieShea, said the hours after thatawful moment caused her even more pain.

"Conorlay at the side of the road for two hours. We were waiting for a coroner to get there," she said. "It was very traumatic for everyone there."

Coroner gives permission to move body

P.E.I. law requires the coroner's office to investigate all unexpected deaths, and it is thecoroner who gives permission to have the body removed.

In Shea's case, she said a coroner did not attend the scene in person. Instead, first responders received permission to allow the body to be moved after a two-hour wait.

The coroner's office confirmed for CBC News that coroners do not attend in person to all incidents.

Ambulance not for transport

Shea is also upsetthat the ambulance did not transporther son's body from the scene.

"An ambulance sat there with us and two policemen," saidShea. "I felt he [Conor] should have been put in theambulanceand brought to the hospital."

Later, a funeral home removed Conor's body.

The system of using ambulances to transport bodies in Queens County was changed six years ago. That job was handed over to firefighters in thatcounty. The idea was to free upambulances for other emergencies.

P.E.I.'s Chief Coroner Dr. Desmond Colohan saidthe coroner's service hopes to contract fire departments in Prince and Kings Countiesto transport bodies as well.Currently that is done by funeral homes in those counties.

Changes may be coming

More than a year after her son's death, Sheawrote of her roadside experience on Facebook, as well as voicing concerns to government.

Sheawants something done to speed up the response of coroners toaccident scenes, saying it wouldminimize stress on families and first responders.

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In response tocomplaints, Colohantold CBC News changes may be coming to the way the coroner's office operates.

Colohan saidhis office has received three complaints over the past three years about how long it takes for the coroner to attend tofatalities.

P.E.I. hasfive coroners across the province, and Colohan saidit's been difficult recruiting doctors to the role.

'We are aware when there are issues'

He saidthey are now looking at the system in Nova Scotia, where other health professionals nurses and paramedics act as field investigators.

"Hopefully I can reassure that poor lady that we are aware when there are issues," said Colohan. "We're getting lots of positive feedback from government that they are prepared to take a serious look at trying to improve that response time when in fact it's been an issue."

Shea said the current rules "are inhumane."

"Our child shouldn't havelaidthere for two hours. No one should lay there," she said."It's a big problem that has to be fixed."

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