My son suffered heart failure and his girlfriend waited from 21-51 minutes before calling 911. He later died in the hospital 10 days later.

My son went to a plastic surgeon in October 2012 and updated his next of kin information. On July 26, 2013 he was admitted to hospital in critical condition. The hospital made his girlfriend next of kin because she said she was his common law wife and that he was estranged to his family. Can they do this in Ontario Canada?

He made his common law wife his next of kin, is that your problem, because it wasn't you ?

Whoever is named next of kin for medical information is legal in Ontario Canada, and if he signed the form, it is binding.

I am sorry for your loss, but perhaps she didn't wait 20 minutes to call, perhaps she was upset and didn't know what was happening.

Is this the same issue https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/health...in-796717.html

Where do you want to go with this situation ? She didn't not call, she called, but there is a time lag for the medics if the situation was not reported so that they could understand the urgency. You can't blame his g/f for this.

Works that way in the USA too as far as I know. Its usually one of the forms signed when you are admitted. In case something goes wrong.

I assume the girlfriend accompanied him to the hospital. So the hospital didn't change anything, they just accepted what the girlfriend said. Did you go to the hospital and tell them she is not his common law wife? Do you have proof she's not?

I have to agree with Scott. Updating a next of kin at a doctor's office is different than admission to a hospital. They are two totally different documents from two totally different entities.

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Originally Posted by lekkera

My son suffered heart failure and his girlfriend waited from 21-51 minutes before calling 911. He later died in the hospital 10 days later.

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Do you have proof of this? If so, then go to the police with the proof. They may not do anything, but its worth a try.

Was it 21 minutes or 51 minutes? A 30 minute time difference is a lot.

Also, was it heart failure or a heart attack? There is a difference.

Did she not call voluntarily, or did he tell her not to call?

If it was a heart attack, they are not always as obvious as they are on TV. Some present with little, or even no symptoms. If it was heart failure, was he previously diagnosed with a heart condition?

Many men, do not even realize they are having, and younger men, will not allow 911 to be called. As for the law, it will depend on where they live.. So much depends on exactly what happened, and her knowledge of what was happening.

Yes, if he gave new next of kin, at a doctors office.. This info will not be at a hospital.

Please understand that we are not unsympathetic. Losing a child, especially under such circumstances, must be horrific and you have our condolences. But you are asking questions about legalities here. And you are not giving us enough information to to make a specific determination.

As noted, Heart attack symptoms are not always obvious and many men won't say to call 911 until it is obvious. Unless you were there, you really can't know when the attack began or what symptoms were exhibited. So you really can't know how long it took for her to call. An autopsy, may reveal more details, but unless there is a hint of foul play, you may have to pay for a more thorough autopsy yourself to get the facts.

I'm guessing here that you don't like the girlfriend and could that be affecting your thinking?

{Mod note: I'm merging your two threads since they bear on the same issue.}