The coroner

[Bucknutty]

So loooong story short, I'm waiting on an autopsy and toxicology report from the county coroner. I was told it would be 4-6 weeks, so I called at four weeks and the county coroner told me she was on vacation and no one else is authorized to discuss such matters. Call back in two weeks, she said.

So I did. That was Tuesday, and she told me the report was done but it had to be finalized and she had to review it before it could be released. She said it would be Thursday around 2 p.m. and that she would call me.

I called yesterday at 1:45 and left a message. I called at 3 and didn't leave one. I called at 4 and left another one. Finally, I called the main office and wound up speaking to the case manager, who said the report was done but the coroner had to review it first and she would not be in today.

This morning I went to the office and was there as they opened, and they told me they had no idea when the coroner would be in and reiterated that she is the only person authorized to speak on cases. I said I'd wait, and they said they had no idea how long it would be but that they would call me when she got in.

I left my number with them, then I called the coroner's cell (again) and left a message (again). Right now my whole day is on hold (again) until I get in touch with her, and I really just want this to be done and over with.

Anyone else have any experience like this? Am I just super lucky?

 

[reformedhack]

I believe I'd start putting in FOI requests to see the coroner's personnel file, to determine how much vacation time she's taking.

 

[Drip]

I believe I'd start putting in FOI requests to see the coroner's personnel file, to determine how much vacation time she's taking.

Not a bad idea. Coroners can be pains in the ass. Have you tried going through the district attorney's office?

 

[Armchair_QB]

I believe I'd start putting in FOI requests to see the coroner's personnel file, to determine how much vacation time she's taking.

Why? It's not the coroner's job to be at your beck-and-call.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Beck and call roughly can be defined as obeying someone's orders instantly and being subject to that person's slightest whim.

From what Bucknutty related, he has no expectation that the coroner be at his beck and call. In fact, they gave him their own deadline, he waited and called then, and they still didn't provide the results he had asked for when they said they would have them.

He's not being unreasonable.

 

[da man]

Maybe she died.

 

[da man]

This coroner would never treat you that way:

 

[turski7]

Call coroner again. If you get the same response, call the DA's office and local police/sheriff's office to see if they have a copy of the report. If all else fails, contact coroner's supervisor and ask the reason for such a delay.

 

[da man]

Call coroner again. If you get the same response, call the DA's office and local police/sheriff's office to see if they have a copy of the report. If all else fails, contact coroner's supervisor and ask the reason for such a delay.

Could the coroner's stalling become a story in and of itself if it goes on long enough?

 

[BillyT]

I believe I'd start putting in FOI requests to see the coroner's personnel file, to determine how much vacation time she's taking.

Why? It's not the coroner's job to be at your beck-and-call.

That's quite a reach when you read about how many times he has tried.

 

[Walter Burns]

This coroner would never treat you that way:

He wasn't a coroner. He was a medical examiner. Big difference. ME's are usually doctors and appointed. Coroners are elected, and you don't always have to be a doctor for the job.
And yes, in my experience, coroners are bastards to get a hold of.

 

[da man]

This coroner would never treat you that way:

He wasn't a coroner. He was a medical examiner. Big difference. ME's are usually doctors and appointed. Coroners are elected, and you don't always have to be a doctor for the job.
And yes, in my experience, coroners are bastards to get a hold of.

Geez, you're no fun.

 

[reformedhack]

This coroner would never treat you that way:

"This was no accident, Sam ... this was murder. So don't answer any questions from reporters."

 

[Bradley Guire]

Make no mistake: coroners are not doctors. Just another small-time politician elected by the public, and experience in the medical field is not required. Just another bureaucrat. (Yeah, I hated dealing with coroners, if you can't tell.)

But, yeah, if it's a fight worth picking, there's always a "is this public official doing his job?" story in a lengthy delay, especially if you're told the report is done. FOI everything you can. Doesn't mean you'll need to use everything you get, but do it anyway.

 

[Riptide]

She's obviously jerking you around. Why is she doing that?

 

[Walter Burns]

This coroner would never treat you that way:

He wasn't a coroner. He was a medical examiner. Big difference. ME's are usually doctors and appointed. Coroners are elected, and you don't always have to be a doctor for the job.
And yes, in my experience, coroners are bastards to get a hold of.

Geez, you're no fun.

Sorry. How's this?

The coroner? I hate that guy!!

 

[BillyT]

So what happened in the end?

 

[User 4332]

A couple of best practice suggestions, Bucknutty:

1) If autopsies are considered public records under your state law (usually they are, but in some states they're specifically exempted) then you should always put in a formal written request for a copy of the autopsy you're interested in shortly after the death. If you haven't in this case, you should go ahead and do that. By making the formal written request under some states laws you automatically trigger some time limitations on the coroner, you preserve your rights to go to court if you eventually need to by creating a record of your request.

2) Writing a story about the coroner (or any government agency) failing to respond to your requests will often come across as petty, so you need to be careful about how you do it. At some point it becomes appropriate to do and will put pressure on the coroner. That's another reason you want to create a written record of your request - so that if/when you do write about it, you're on better footing. Typically, it's a good idea to give the agency a reasonable amount of time to respond. In the scenario you've described above, she'd given you an expected release time and then wasn't immediately available around that time or the day after. I'd typically hold off for a few days to try to find out why she's not responding, while still being politely persistent, before writing something about her failure to respond.

And yes, I've had plenty of experience with non-responsive government agencies, including coroners/medical examiners, in releasing what should be public information.

 

[Bucknutty]

Sorry...meant to update you all sooner.

After I left the coroner's office, I went back to my office and got a phone call as I was pulling in from the coroner. On the call, I was told that they will provide me with a copy of the report as soon as it is finalized, but it is not finalized yet. I was told they are pulling all kinds of medical journals and articles to determine why this person died, and they can't do that when they're on the phone with me.

I said I understand that, I know they're just doing their job but that I'm also just trying to do mine. I was assured I'd be called after the family, and left it at that.

Two or three hours later, sure enough, my phone rang and I had the story before everyone else. So in the end, we had a happy ending, or at least as happy an ending you can get when dealing with the sudden death of a young athlete.

 

[Drip]

Sorry...meant to update you all sooner.

After I left the coroner's office, I went back to my office and got a phone call as I was pulling in from the coroner. On the call, I was told that they will provide me with a copy of the report as soon as it is finalized, but it is not finalized yet. I was told they are pulling all kinds of medical journals and articles to determine why this person died, and they can't do that when they're on the phone with me.

I said I understand that, I know they're just doing their job but that I'm also just trying to do mine. I was assured I'd be called after the family, and left it at that.

Two or three hours later, sure enough, my phone rang and I had the story before everyone else. So in the end, we had a happy ending, or at least as happy an ending you can get when dealing with the sudden death of a young athlete.

That's good to hear. I recall dealing with the sudden death of an athlete during a wrestling match in my younger days. Very difficult situation to be in. Glad things worked out well for you.