Application for catastrophic impairment dismissed; oral evidence of paramedics regarding unrecorded GCS score rejected as unreliable.
The applicant was injured in a single-vehicle rollover accident and sought a determination that he sustained a catastrophic impairment based on a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 9 or less.
The applicant relied on the oral testimony of two paramedics who attended the scene and claimed to have administered a GCS test resulting in a score of 3.
The arbitrator found that the applicant was the passenger found imbedded in the hillside, but rejected the paramedics' evidence that they had administered a GCS test.
The arbitrator concluded that the paramedics likely used the grosser AVPU test for triage and that their recollection of administering a GCS test and assigning a score of 3 almost nine years later without notes was unreliable.
The application was dismissed.
OFSCDRSOntario Financial Services Commission - Dispute Resolution ServicesMay 10, 2010