More details on the problem of misidentification when opening the investigation
A French basket racer who was killed in an accident at this year’s TT was carrying his teammate’s ID with him when their basket crashed.
Thirty-two-year-old César Chanal died at the scene of the accident at Ago’s Leap, on Quarterbridge Road in Douglas, on June 4 during the first wheelchair race; he received multiple injuries.
An investigation into his death was opened and adjourned at Douglas Court today (June 17th), with coroner Jane Hughes describing how identifying Mr Chanal “was by no means easy”.
There was a case of misidentification after the organizers of the race mistakenly announced that Mr. Chanal’s passenger in the basket Olivier Laurel had died on the spot.
The court found that both men were taken to Noble Hospital after the incident with the red flag – one in the morgue and the other in the emergency department.
A statement from the morgue worker, who helped identify the deceased, said he was facing someone who had suffered a “catastrophic injury”.
After searching his skins, he found only a metal dog tag in his pocket, which showed the name “Olivier Laurel” and the words “French” – there were no other recognizable references.
A statement from a consultant working in the emergency department said that the medical staff there also found it difficult to identify the athlete they were treating because of the trauma they had suffered.
He also wore nothing that could be identified, but they found a dog label hidden in his skin that said “César Chanal.”
The man in critical condition, who was later identified as Mr Laurel, was taken to a hospital in the United Kingdom for treatment.
Three days later, the course leader expressed concern about the possibility of a mistaken identity after a helmet was removed from the scene and videos of the crash were reviewed.
The court also heard that Cesar Chanal’s mother had gone to Walton Hospital to be with her son, only to find out that the patient they were caring for was Mr Laurel.
Mr Lavorel’s relative also flew to the Island and told the competition authorities that they could identify the men by their hair, as Mr Lavorel had short hair while Mr Chanal had long hair.
Both men had different blood types.
Calls were made to Walton Hospital, where medical staff confirmed their patient’s blood type and that he had short hair.
The court heard that dog labels are used for identification and must be worn around the neck, and riders are required, according to the rules of the race, to demonstrate this during the inspection.
A statement from the French team’s mechanic said the duo with baskets did not have chains for their identification labels and therefore put them in their skin pockets, adding that he had never heard them discuss changing them.
Ms Hughes said identifying the two men was “extremely difficult” and that the initial identification, although done “in good faith”, was wrong.
She added that there was “no sufficient evidence” at this stage to determine why riders did not have their own identity labels, and urged people not to speculate on social media about the incident.
Handing over Mr Chanal’s body to his family so that the funeral could take place, she confirmed that a full investigation into his death would take place at a later date.
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