84-year-old Longueuil woman dies after being found outside by snowplow operator

For the second time in less than a week, a woman in her 80s has died after being found alone outside at night in the Greater Montreal area.

An 84-year-old woman died Thursday morning after she was found unconscious by a snowplow operator on a Longueuil street – outside her home. Her death was later confirmed in hospital.

The woman, described by Longueuil police (SPAL) spokesperson Mélanie Marcille as “vulnerable,” was spotted by a snowplow operator around 3:15 a.m. on Labonté Street, near Jacques-Cartier Blvd. west and Chemin de Chambly. She was lightly dressed and lying in the snow. Temperatures in the area around that time were about minus-11 Celsius with the wind chill.

The man called 911 and performed resuscitation efforts before emergency services arrived to take her to hospital.

Authorities say the woman had been under family supervision and lived at a nearby home – but reportedly left.

“At this point, there is no indication that this was a criminal act,” said Marcille. “Everything suggests that there was nothing criminal about it. However, the investigation will be transferred to the coroner. I imagine they will also try to understand how she managed to get outside.”

“The information we have at this point is that there was a small surveillance system at the residence, but she apparently got around the surveillance system.”

Police say the family is being offered counseling to deal with the loss.

The Quebec Coroner’s officer confirmed that they were notified of the death. “Coroner Dr. Annie Lecavalier has been appointed to conduct an investigation to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding the death,” wrote Jake Lamotta Granato, Communications and Media Relations Manager for the Coroner’s office in an email to CityNews.

“Apparently the systems that the family had put, had installed in the house, a private house, was not safe enough, so it’s pretty sad,” said Paul Brunet, Chair, Council for the Protection of Patients. “Sometimes families want to keep their elders at home because they hear about what’s going on in long-term facilities and they don’t want to make their relatives live that. […] When you hear of how sometimes people are treated in long-term facilities, maybe that they had the reflex of wanting to keep their relatives for themselves at home with the limited means that they had installed for the person.”

Officers noted the incident comes just days after an 88-year-old woman was found dead outside a private seniors’ residence (RPA) in Laval. The coroner’s office is also investigating that death.

“RPAs have to provide safe spaces to seniors,” said Sonia Bélanger, Quebec Minister Responsible for Seniors and Caregivers, when questioned by reporters on Thursday morning at the National Assembly about the tragedies. “There’s already a lot of inspections in RPAs, the rules are clear; adding layers of inspection is not going to solve this situation. I expect RPAs to follow the rules in this regard. When there are people with cognitive impairments, RPAs must absolutely ensure that the physical premises are secure. It belongs to them.”

– With files from the Canadian Press