Police officer calls for change after paramedic refuses to break into home despite being told man inside needed help
Police officer Sergeant Amanda Weaver gave evidence at the inquest on Friday. (ABC News: Olivia Mason)
In short:
State Coroner David Whittle is conducting an inquiry into the death of David Low, who died from heart complications in February 2020.
A police officer has told the inquest that a paramedic should have forced entry into the man's house despite him believing he was not inside.
What's next?
The inquest will continue next week.
A police officer has called for change after a coronial inquest heard that a paramedic "just didn't want to cause damage" to a property by forcing entry, despite being told a man was inside and needed urgent assistance.
State Coroner David Whittle is inquiring into the death of David John Low, 64, who died of heart complications in February 2020.
Mr Low had a number of health issues including diabetes, heart problems and breathing issues.
His NDIS carer raised the alarm with emergency services after he was unable to contact his client after a call in which the man expressed being in significant pain and then dropped his mobile phone.
State Coroner David Whittle is inquiring into the death of David Low. (ABC News: Dean Faulkner)
The court heard police officers repeatedly asked paramedic Darryl Sparrow to exercise his powers to allow emergency services to break into the property.
One of the first police officers at the scene called for the assistance of her senior officer, Sergeant Amanda Weaver, who arrived at the address in Kilburn with tools to assist a forced entry.
"I indicated to [Sergeant Weaver] that I thought this was a scenario where we should be entering the house and was genuinely confused why we hadn't already, which is why I was seeking her to attend," Brevet Sergeant Ryder said.
Police officer 'exasperated'
Sergeant Weaver told the court that when she arrived at the house, she asked why they were not attempting to get inside.
She said she was told by the paramedic that he did not believe Mr Low was inside because he thought his wife had picked him up, and that they were looking for a key to gain entry.
"And that was rubbish," Sergeant Weaver said.
"The reasoning of not going in [because] somebody may have collected him and gone before anyone had got there, I don't believe had any ounce of truth or possibility at all."
SA Ambulance Service paramedic Darryl Sparrow (left) walks out of the Coroners Court. (ABC News: Olivia Mason)
Sergeant Weaver said she then rang her boss to seek permission to force entry.
"She said no … something along the lines of … it's a medical job, SAAS [SA Ambulance Service] were there, they were the most appropriate authority, we were there to assist, they needed to do it," she said.
Sergeant Weaver described climbing on top of a neighbour's wheelie bin to jump the fence and knock on back windows and doors in an effort to alert Mr Low of their presence.
She said she was "absolutely exasperated" and "time was ticking", and recalled pressing Mr Sparrow on his refusal to exercise his powers to force entry.
Call for change and common sense
Sergeant Weaver told the state coroner she did not think agencies should have to argue over whose decision it was to use their powers.
"If I'm begging my boss to open the door because it's my belief … he needs help, I'm satisfied he's in there [and] I need to go in there, that should be enough," she said.
"We need change and we need common sense."
She added that she thought SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) vehicles should carry tools that could assist them in the forced entry of properties in emergency situations.
'It was devastating'
The court heard Mr Low's daughter eventually arrived with house keys and provided access to the property.
Mr Low was found dead in his bedroom.
"He was still pink — I remember his hands, they were only slightly tinging," Sergeant Weaver said.
"It was devastating."
She told the court she had tools in her police vehicle that could have allowed them to break into the house without causing significant damage, estimating that if damage was inflicted, repairing the broken door would have cost about "120 bucks".
"I was very upset, very upset," she said.
Paramedic calls for further training
The court heard a phone call between Mr Sparrow and a SAAS staff member shortly after Mr Low was found dead, in which Mr Sparrow said the death "would have been within seconds" of the phone call ending with his carer.
He also told the staff member "there was a bit of an argy-bargy" with police to break into the home but "it wouldn't have made a scrap of difference".
Counsel assisting the coroner Darren Evans said pacemaker data revealed Mr Low was still alive while the paramedic was outside of his house.
Mr Whittle asked Mr Sparrow for further details as to why he would not force entry into the home.
"Can you just pause, think about that question and try to answer it for me: if anything, what you were afraid of, if anything, if you had entered?"
"Probably nothing," Mr Sparrow said.
"Obviously, my threshold of getting a belief that Mr Low was in the house was set way too high.
"I guess I also was unduly influenced by the fact that I [was sent to] the wrong address to start with."
Mr Sparrow "absolutely" agreed that there should be further training for paramedics on when to force entry into homes.
The inquest will continue next week.