Calgary baby who died was alert at Alberta Children’s Hospital, court hears

A trial for a couple charged in the death of their 14-month-old son has heard the boy’s body temperature was so low when he was brought to Alberta Children’s Hospital, it was as though he’d been pulled from a frozen lake.

“He was quite sick,” emergency doctor Hussein Unwala testified Tuesday before a jury hearing the case of Jeromie and Jennifer Clark.

The Clarks have pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life for their son John.

The trial in Calgary has already heard the child was brought by his parents to the Foothills Medical Centre – a major trauma hospital in the city – on the afternoon of Nov. 28, 2013. He was quickly taken by ambulance to the nearby children’s hospital because it was better equipped to treat him.

Unwala, who was leading the trauma team at the children’s hospital that afternoon, said John was alert, looked around and interacted with his environment when he first came in.

“That did change with time,” the doctor told court.

Unwala said John became more sleepy and began to make arm and leg movements known as posturing – “almost where the body goes a little bit rigid or stiff” – that could suggest a seizure, stroke or other brain problem.

“I remember the vital signs being quite abnormal,” Unwala said.

He said some of the child’s toes were purple.

Unwala said it was presumed John was suffering from an “overwhelming infection” and the medical team was trying to give him fluids and warm him up.

The doctor who first saw John at Foothills hospital, Ping-Wei Chen, testified Monday that a fever is most common in a patient with an infection, but body temperatures can drop when the ailment is in its final stages.

Unwala, who identified the Clarks as the parents who were with John, said he spoke to them very briefly.

“It was mainly to allow them to understand how sick John was and he was in life-threatening danger despite our best efforts,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was mainly to allow them to understand how sick John was and he was in life-threatening danger despite our best efforts," he said.

“Any time I had a question, his parents were able to answer them for us.”

Prosecutor Shane Parker said in his opening statement Monday that John was born at home, had never been vaccinated, was not fed properly and had never seen a doctor until the day before the boy died on Nov. 29, 2013.

Under cross-examination by David Chow, Jeromie Clark’s defence lawyer, Unwala agreed there was nothing abnormal about John’s breathing, that he was able to move all four limbs spontaneously and that his abdomen was not rigid.

He also agreed when Chow noted that no infectious disease specialist was consulted at the children’s hospital.

Jennifer Clark’s lawyer, John Phillips, asked Unwala whether there were any concerns noted about malnutrition.

“Not to my recollection and not on my report,” the doctor replied.