A coronial inquest has begun into the death of a wheelchair-using amputee, who likely died while police and paramedics argued over whether they were able to force their way into his house.
In February 2020, David Low was alone at home when he called his NDIS carer for help.
Concerned about his wellbeing, the carer called triple zero.
Paramedic Darryl Sparrow arrived at the Adelaide home at 4.20pm but didn’t force his way inside despite the carer’s insistence that Low was in there.
When police arrived, they were told it was up to the ambulance service to act.
The officers and the paramedic were then each involved in phone calls going higher and higher up the chain, allegedly arguing as the minutes went by.
The paramedic said he needed evidence Low was inside to activate his powers to break in, while police said they couldn’t do it because it was a medical case.
The coroner was today told that both were wrong.
It was not until 5.23pm that Low’s daughter arrived with a key and discovered her father dead inside.
A medical expert is expected to testify that Low likely died while the confusion played out outside.
Whether the rights of entry policies need to be updated, or whether there needs to be better training for frontline services will be central to the inquest.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
