So, we’ve talked in previous videos about when there’s an expected death, what you need to do. But what happens if the death is unexpected, where a doctor can’t sign a certificate when they don’t know what the cause of death is? Well, that’s when the coroner gets involved. And the coroner, in turn, has agents who are the police, and the police then call us.
So, if there’s a death and it’s unexpected, the doctor says he can’t sign a certificate, that’s when you would probably call the ambulance or the police directly. Either or, they will call each other and attend the scene. Some people get a bit intimidated with the police there, but they do need to secure that scene and any evidence that’s there in case there’s any foul play.
But the reality is most of the time there’s not foul play, it’s just we don’t know why they’ve died, so the coroner does need to get involved. The police, in turn, organise one of their contractors, it might be us, if it’s local, to attend, and then we will organise with the coroner’s office to get a clearance to them being able to bring that person back. It’s all under the coroner’s care, everything’s looked after, and if you’re unsure or don’t know what to do, the first call is always ring the funeral director.
In our case, Kapari Coast Funeral Home here in Paraparaumu.
