The inquest jury examining the death of Heather Winterstein has found the Indigenous woman’s death in a St. Catharines, Ont., hospital over four years ago was from septic shock and accidental.

The family of the 24-year-old, who collapsed in the emergency department after trying to get help over two days before dying Dec. 10, 2021 after frantic attempts to save her life, had sought a homicide finding.

Niagara Health, which runs the St. Catharines hospital where Winterstein died, and Niagara’s paramedic service both disagreed with the homicide argument and said nothing intentional was done leading to her death.

The jury also assembled 68 recommendations they feel will help prevent similar deaths.

More to come