The mother of 22-year-old Ezra Cool says her son “needed help and he didn’t get it.”
On Feb. 6, Cool checked himself into the hospital in Vernon, B.C., and was involuntarily admitted under B.C.’s Mental Health Act. His mother, Christal Cool, says he was experiencing psychosis with no prior history.
“He thought he was being drugged. He thought his family was being held hostage at knife point. There’s no prior history. This was just out of the blue,” she said.
Six days later, at around 5:30 a.m., Ezra escaped the hospital wearing only socks and hospital clothing while a nurse was on break. About an hour later, his mother was notified. Moments after that, she learned there was a police presence near the hospital.
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“I knew it was him. So I drove down here and came to the scene and saw that it was,” she said.
Ezra was struck and killed in a hit-and-run involving a semi on Highway 6.
Vernon RCMP say it’s still under investigation.
Cool says there were no beds available in the psychiatric ward and that her son spent six days in a hallway in the emergency department, with only a brief period in a secure area.
“I didn’t think that he was safe in that hallway, but I also didn’t see him actually being able to get out because he’d have to walk past security,” she said.
She believes the emergency department did not provide the 24/7 supervision required under the Mental Health Act for someone who was involuntarily admitted.
“Even the nurses said he shouldn’t be in the emergency, he should be in the psych unit. He shouldn’t be here,” she said.
B.C.’s Opposition critic for mental health and addictions, Claire Rattée, is questioning whether staffing shortages played a role in the lack of psychiatric space.
“We do know about the mass resignations of psychiatrists in Vernon last year that likely played a significant role in how the system broke down, and clearly he was not being properly monitored,” Rattée said.
In a statement to Global News, Interior Health confirmed it is undertaking a review of Ezra Cool’s case.
“I would like some closure there,” Cool said. “I want to know how things are going to change, how they’re going to change things to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
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