A coroners’ inquest is scheduled to begin Monday into the overdose death of an Oak Bay teenager last year.
Sixteen-year-old Elliot Eurchuk died on April 20, 2018, after he was found unresponsive in his bed at his family’s home.
In March, the BC Coroners Service announced an inquest would be held to review the circumstances of Eurchuk’s death and to help a jury make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
Sixteen-year-old Elliot Cleveland Eurchuk. Photo courtesy of Rachel Staples
Eurchuk’s parents called for an inquest last summer and said shortly after he died that they felt trapped by a medical system that didn’t give them a say in his painkiller prescriptions.
Eurchuk had four surgical procedures in 2017, two for a fractured jaw that occurred in a soccer match and two shoulder reconstructions within four months of the jaw surgeries.
His mother Rachel Staples said he was prescribed opioids around every surgery and that’s when Elliot’s drug use started.
READ MORE: ‘He was kind’: Oak Bay parents describe their 16-year-old son who died in accidental overdose
The coroners office said in a release the jury will not make any findings of legal responsibility and it will be presided by coroner Michael Egilson.
The inquest is being held at the University of Victoria.
Andy Neal
