Baby Ryker Daponte-Michaud’s chances of survival were close to 95% if he was given proper medical treatment to his severe coffee burns, in which he would later succumb to.
Today the jury was shown pictures of baby Ryker laying in his sleeper, with his diaper unfastened and severe burns to his lower body.
Medical Director at the Thompson Regional Burn Unit, London Health Sciences Center, Dr. Chirstopher Scilley took the stand today. He said that the burns that baby Ryker had would have landed him a four to six week stay in the hospital, but his chances of survival were very high. He explained, “In a child this age, this would be rated a severe burn”.
Ryker’s mom, 30 year-old Amanda Dumont, and her boyfriend, 27 year-old Scott Bakker have plead not guilty to a joint charge of criminal negligence causing death, and separate charges of failing to provide the necessaries of life. Baby Ryker was found dead in their Strathroy home on May 21st, 2014 after almost 18% of his body was burned and untreated resulting in his death.
Dumont, and Bakker said they gave the baby Polysporin antibiotic creams and over the counter pain relievers to take care of the increasingly hysterical baby after the spill occurred. Scilley says that was not enough, he explained that Polysporin isn’t used for burns in his unit- “it’s better for frostbite,” he said.
“The child would have gone progressively into shock,” Scilley said when referring to how the burn would “obliterate” Ryker’s blood vessels. He explained that blood flow would stop because of vessel damage and would result in organs shutting down slowly. Scilley said that at minimum the child would have been able to live for 48 hrs, and at maximum 4 days with the severity of burns in this case. He said he would have been shocked if Ryker would have been able to be mobile from the time the coffee spilled, to his tragic death days later.
The trial will continue tomorrow.
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