Family members watched a surveillance video of Elie Seremach’s deadly fall for the first time Monday morning.
They crowded close to the barrier in court to see it a second time, some in tears and others clutching their hearts as they watched the 73-year-old climb a ladder and place materials on the roof. Suddenly, the man in the video drops. A ladder spins up and flips backward.
The video was played as evidence in Superior Court as part of the first day of a coroner’s inquest into Seremach’s death.
Another worker found the 73-year-old laying injured beneath a scaffold on June 26, 2014. Seremach had been working as a subcontractor at the construction site in Lakeshore.
Colleen Caza, the lawyer representing the family, said it had been a very emotional process for them to see the video for the first time and hear testimony from Seremach’s doctor and an investigator. Family members were too distraught to speak with the Star.
“The family is hoping that they can get some answers, get some closure,” she said. “It’s been a very difficult loss for them, of course, and the process itself is bringing up a lot of emotions for them.”
Colleen Caza, lawyer for the family of Elie Seremach talks with the media following the inquest into the the death of Elie Seremach .
At the inquest, Donald Frenette, investigator for the Ministry of Labour, told jurors he’d concluded Seremach had fallen from an 11-foot ladder propped against the roof on top of a five-foot tall scaffold. He said it appeared that because the scaffold was missing a board, when the ladder kicked out from under him Seremach fell about 10 feet through it to the ground.
Although there were seven contractors working inside the home, Frenette’s investigation found none knew Seremach was there. It was only by chance a worker came outside to drill a hole into the kitchen. On his way back, he found the roofing contractor on the ground.
Dr. Tommy Dang, with the Windsor Regional Hospital, told jurors Seremach had fractured his neck, leading to a spinal cord injury. Those injuries left him weak in his arms and legs. Seremach wasn’t able to breathe on his own.
For several months, Seremach was in hospital. He underwent surgery and breathed through a machine.
The 73-year-old was lucid during that time — he hadn’t sustained any damage to his brain. But through it all, he couldn’t remember the details of his fall.
Dang said on Sept. 8, 2014, hospital staff removed the respiratory machine, at Seremach’s request. About six hours later, he died.
The Ministry of Labour conducted an investigation into the incident, but no charges were laid. The inquest, which is expected to last about three days, is required when a worker is killed at a construction site.
Much of the process Monday afternoon was centred around Frenette’s testimony, describing how the accident had occurred according to his investigation and what provincial regulations were contravened.
He said the ladder wasn’t properly secured and the scaffold appeared to be too narrow once the ladder was balanced on top. The scaffold was also lacking some required parts that could have made it more stable.
As well, had Seremach been working on the roof — higher than 10 feet — he would have required either a guard rail or a harness. Based on the video, Frenette said it appeared Seremach was leaning against the roof at the time of the accident, about 10 feet off the ground.
Inquest Coroner Curtis Fedoruk told a jury of three men and three women that they are expected to determine how Seremach died and to come up with recommendations, if necessary, for the province to ensure that it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
The inquest does not seek a guilty or not guilty verdict and will not determine whether anyone is at fault.
Caza said the first day of the inquest was difficult for the family, but has provided more answers than they had before.
“They also have the opportunity, along with the jury, to put forward some recommendations so that a similar tragedy could be prevented in the future. So that other families don’t have to go through this,” she said.
Caza said the family will likely present some recommendations to the inquest Tuesday.
