Paramedics testify about treating injured mom, daughter at London condo

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Paramedics were faced with two dramatically different medical situations when they were called to a Wilkins Street condo.

One was to attend to Barbara Cabala, 43, who was already in the back of a London police cruiser when the paramedics who would deal with her rolled up to the address.

The other was Cabala’s mother, Elzbieta, 59, who was inside the residence with vital signs absent and firefighters trying to resuscitate her when another paramedic team took over. Within minutes, she was pronounced dead.

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Barbara Cabala has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the death of her mother on July 7, 2021. A Superior Court jury was picked earlier this week to hear the case and evidence began on Thursday.

What the jury has learned already is that Cabala’s mother died of external pressure to her neck and that in a 911 call and in her early interactions with police, Cabala said she was acting in self-defence.

Along with two London police officers, the jury heard from two paramedics on Friday.

Jennifer Doyle, now an instructor in the paramedic program at Fanshawe College who still works part-time as a paramedic, testified under questions from assistant Crown attorney James Spangenberg that she and her ambulance partner arrived at the address within four minutes of receiving the dispatch.

By then, both police and fire were there, along with other ambulances and some civilian onlookers. Instead of going inside the residence, Doyle said, they were alerted to a patient who was seated in the back of the police cruiser. They took their stretcher to the car.

The patient identified herself as Barbara Cabala. During the initial assessment, she complained of neck pain and a cervical collar was placed around her neck while still in the police vehicle. She was able to stand and pivot onto the stretcher and was wheeled back to the ambulance.

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Doyle said she noted a three-centimetre cut on Cabala’s right hand that was not actively bleeding. She also noted some dried blood on Cabala’s chest and she did an examination to make sure they were not missing anything, but there was no other obvious injury to her.

At some point during the 14 minutes they were at the address, Doyle said she was asked to leave the ambulance so a police officer could speak to Cabala. That exchange lasted for about four minutes.

Cabala indicated to Doyle that she wanted to go to the hospital and she was transported there at 8 p.m. Doyle said she and her partner got her registered and told the triage nurse that Cabala was in police custody.

From the beginning of her contact with the paramedics to when she was at the hospital, Doyle said Cabala’s vital signs were checked and both her blood pressure and heart rate readings went down.

In cross-examination, defence lawyer Geoff Snow reviewed Doyle’s incident notes and what Cabala said. Doyle agreed that Cabala was quiet, co-operative and answered questions appropriately. She complained of pain in the left side of her head that radiated to her eye and there was an examination for any wound or softness.

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Cabala told Doyle that she lost consciousness, but was not sure for how long. She complained of dizziness, blurry vision and nausea. She also said she had back pain, but it was not as severe as the pain to her head.

The jury also heard from paramedic Nicole Atkinson, who rushed to the address with her ambulance partner after hearing the dispatch. They went inside the residence just was “police were taking out someone in cuffs.”

Inside the condo, Atkinson said two firefighters were performing CPR on Cabala’s mother, who was on the floor. She couldn’t say how many emergency personnel were there, but recalled at least one police officer. She and her partner had brought in their more sophisticated equipment, including a more advanced airway opener.

She recalled there were items knocked over and there was plant matter and dirt on the floor. She and her partner took over care while the firefighters continued compressions. But it was clear early on that Cabala’s mother was deceased. There was no heartbeat to shock into rhythm and despite opening the airway, she was not breathing.

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They found an abrasion on the back of her head and Atkinson said her partner said that when he was putting the airway in, he felt the back of her neck was “soft and crunchy.” That indicated a head injury and trauma to the head.

One of her pupils was bigger than the other, which she said was a sign of brain trauma. There was blood in her hair and on her face, chest and arm, but there was no other major injury than on the head. She noted that her face was blue.

Atkinson said what they had was a “traumatic VSA” and required Atkinson to call a doctor who made the call to end resuscitation efforts. “It would be futile to continue,” she said.

Cabala’s mother was pronounced dead at the residence.

The jury also heard from London police Sgt. Derek Hardman, who at the time of the homicide, was a forensic identification officer who had experience in locating and photographing blood evidence.

Hardman took video and photos in the early moments of the investigation when Cabala’s mother’s body was still at the residence.

The jury was taken through almost 100 photos taken by Hardman the day after Cabala’s mother’s death of areas where he saw substances that appeared to be blood. There were photos in the foyer, kitchen, hall and upstairs, and a more extensive area of the substance in the corner of the living room near the patio door where Cabala’s mother died.

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Hardman testified he took swabs of some of the staining around the home to be tested at the Centre for Forensic Sciences for potential DNA samples. He had nothing more to do with the swabs after collecting them for evidence and handing them over to the investigation.

However, the jury was told that there was no forensic testing done on the samples. In cross-examination, Snow pointed out that there was no testing to suggest it was human blood, or even blood at all.

The trial continues on Monday.

jsims@postmedia.com

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