Austin Eaglechief’s body contained "a toxic level" of meth, RCMP forensic toxicologist Kimberly Young testified Thursday at the inquest into his death.
Alcohol and cannabis were also detected through urine, blood and eye fluid test results. Young couldn’t be certain about the exact levels because drug and alcohol levels can change after death, she said.
Eaglechief, 22, died after the stolen truck he was driving collided with another vehicle at Airport Drive and Circle Drive on June 19, 2017.
The inquest into Eaglechief’s death began on Monday. An inquest is not a criminal proceeding, rather, a jury makes recommendations to avoid similar situations from happening in the future.
'You could see his skull': paramedic
Justine Thalheimer, a primary care paramedic with MD Ambulance, also took the stand Thursday morning.
Thalheimer was called to the crash scene and pronounced Eaglechief dead. She said she never detected a pulse.
Thalheimer testified she didn’t perform CPR because Eaglechief was in a fetal position, not laying flat, so CPR would be ineffective. Despite its ineffectiveness, an officer was doing one-armed chest impressions before Thalheimer arrived.
The paramedic noticed Eaglechief had a severe injury on his forehead, Thalheimer testified.
"In the laceration, you could see his skull ... brain tissues," she told the jury.
The 22-year-old’s head wound was “a lethal injury,” a pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Eaglechief testified Wednesday.
The pathologist said Eaglechief died from blunt-force trauma to the head. He found multiple skull fractures and rib fractures.
The inquest heard from 14 witnesses in four days. The jury is now expected to deliberate and make its recommendations.
