°µÍø½ûÇø

McFarland was an 18-year-old Innu man who had moved to Montreal from the Maliotenam Innu reserve, located near the town of Sept-ÃŽles, to attend junior college.

He was otherwise healthy but had a peanut and tree nut allergy. 

While visiting the residence of his girlfriend's father in Verdun, a Montreal suburb, he suffered an anaphylactic reaction after eating a tuna sandwich he found in the fridge.

The hospital was just 700 metres away, but McFarland was convinced to call 911, with first responders using an EpiPen and administering oxygen.

However, the court found the ambulance technicians who arrived afterwards failed to urgently transfer McFarland to the hospital just one minute away or inform them of his impending arrival.

That delay cost McFarland his life, Quebec Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Edwards concluded in a ruling dated Aug. 29.

"The court concludes that Urgences-Santé's negligence, including the failure to follow applicable intervention protocols, to make a hasty departure, to provide urgent transport and to send notice to the hospital, was the direct cause of Nutin's death," Edwards wrote.

This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published Sept. 5, 2025.