Inquest into UVic student overdose hears heart-wrenching testimony from mother
The tragic death of 18-year-old Sidney McIntyre-Starko, who passed away from a fentanyl overdose in a University of Victoria dorm room, has sparked a heart-wrenching and revealing testimony from her mother, Dr. Caroline McIntyre, during the first day of the coroner’s inquest into her daughter’s untimely passing.
Dr. McIntyre accused the university of disseminating false information and failing to act promptly to save Sidney’s life. She revealed that despite the university’s claims, they did not contact Royal Jubilee Hospital to identify Sidney after she was rushed there by ambulance. Instead, her daughter was left as an unidentified patient while medical staff worked tirelessly to save her.
As an emergency room physician herself, Dr. McIntyre provided timestamped evidence to campus security to rectify the inaccurate timeline presented by the university. She emphasized that the inquest was necessary because her daughter was left unattended for 15 minutes while campus security had access to Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
An independent report released prior to the inquest concluded that better university response could have prevented Sidney’s death. Security officers failed to recognize the overdose and delayed administering naloxone, a critical intervention in such cases.
The report also revealed that the night of the overdose was the first time Sidney had experimented with unregulated drugs. She and two fellow students snorted a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl, with Sidney tragically succumbing to the toxic effects while the others were revived.
During the inquest, one of the surviving students identified a vial of grey powdery substance as the drug they had ingested. She admitted to minimal research on the substance and a misguided belief that it couldn’t be harmful.
Dr. McIntyre expressed regret for not having more direct conversations with her daughter about drug safety measures and the use of Narcan. She highlighted the importance of education and prevention in combating the ongoing drug crisis that claims thousands of lives each year in British Columbia.
The inquest, scheduled to hear from 36 witnesses over 10 days, aims to determine the circumstances surrounding Sidney’s death and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future. While the proceedings do not assign blame, they shed light on the urgent need for improved responses to drug overdoses and enhanced education on substance abuse prevention.
