Now his family is demanding answers as to why the 41-year-old man was discharged from Dr. Everett Chalmers in Fredericton hours after crashing his motorcycle and receiving minimal care for injuries that could have long term effects. “It’s unacceptable,” Taylor Grandy, his wife, said in an interview Friday. “He should still be in the hospital. He should be, you know, at least a week or more.” Barnet recently bought a motorcycle and went for a ride with a friend Tuesday afternoon, Grandy said. Shortly after crossing the Princess Margaret Bridge on Route 8, Grandy said, her husband hit some gravel, lost control of his bike and hit the median of the highway. The paramedics took him to the Regional Hospital Dr. Everett Chalmers around 8 p.m., where he was treated for a broken C7 vertebra in his neck, broken sternum, broken nose, broken tongue and broken teeth. Grandy said she rushed to the hospital fearing the worst. Taylor Grandy has been caring for her husband since he was released from the hospital early Wednesday. (Submitted by Taylor Grandy) When she got there, a nurse warned her of the severity of Barnett’s injuries before wheeling him back to the emergency room on a stretcher after his CT scan. “He was in so much pain. So much pain. He said, ‘Taylor, I think my back is broken,’ and it was just a mess.” Grandy said that once the CT scan results confirmed the broken vertebra in his neck, staff began instructing her on keeping the brace her husband had around his neck. Then, without explanation, they advised that the Barnet couple would be discharged from hospital later that evening. “They wanted to put him on the bed … to get him moving, and they said, ‘You can go home tonight.’ “And even John couldn’t believe it.” John Barnet and Taylor Grandy live in Fredericton with their five children. It is photographed before the accident. (Submitted by Taylor Grandy) Grandy said she called Barnet’s sister around 1 a.m. to help him get up and out of the hospital. After a 90-minute struggle to move him without injuring him, they loaded him into the family minivan with their five children and headed back to their home in Fredericton. Staff sent Barnet home with some Tylenol tablets, prescriptions for naproxen and morphine and a referral to a neurosurgeon in Saint John, Grandy said. It’s a decision that, even two days later, still baffles her considering the severity of his injuries. “And the doctor told me that if he moves a certain way or takes it [brace] away or something, he could be paralyzed.” Grandy also said she called the referring neurosurgeon Barnet the next day, only to learn he would be off work for the next week and a half. CBC News asked Horizon Health Network why staff chose to fire Barnet when it did and is awaiting a response. Grandy is the second person this month to publicly criticize Chalmers Hospital. John Staples said he saw an elderly man die while waiting to receive treatment in a hospital waiting room in the early hours of July 12. This prompted Horizon to launch a review of what happened and later prompted Premier Blaine Higgs to fire Horizon CEO John Dornan and replace the boards of both Horizon and Vitalité with individual administrators.
Action is requested from the prime minister
In addition to his wife, Barnett’s parents are also demanding answers and action in light of the decision to discharge him hours after he arrived at the hospital. Dave and Nancy Barnett, John Barnett’s parents, are calling on Prime Minister Blaine Higgs to investigate why their son was discharged from hospital. (Submitted by Dave Barnet) “The hospital’s action leaves us disgusted and angry,” Dave and Nancy Barnett said in a letter sent to Higgs on Thursday. “Why wasn’t our son kept for observation for at least 24 to 48 hours after being told he could be paralyzed? Why was he sent home in his condition after six hours?” In an interview Friday, Dave Barnet said he had not heard from Higgs, adding that he is looking not just for an explanation, but for action to improve the care provided at the hospital. “I’m hoping to hear that there’s going to be some statement or news that they’re going to find more money or allocate resources or transfer money and get more nurses and or doctors in [Chalmers] to resolve this critical situation,” Barnet said. In an emailed statement to CBC News, Higgs said he received the Barnets’ letter and will be contacting them to learn more about their experience. “It’s not something I will comment on further to the media as I would prefer to speak to them directly,” he said.
