Doctor says woman who fell down laundry chute drugged but not incapacitated

REGINA — An inquest into the death of a woman who fell 10 storeys down a laundry shute at a Regina hotel has been told she had high levels of drugs and alcohol in her system but was not incapacitated.

Nadine Machiskinic, 29, died in hospital after she was found at the bottom of the shute in January 2015.

Her death was ultimately ruled accidental, but her family does not believe she could have gotten into the small chute on her own.

On Wednesday, Dr. Chris Keddy, a toxicology expert, testified by phone from Ottawa that Machiskinic had a blood alcohol level of .105, or just above the legal driving limit of .08.

He said she also had high levels of methadone and several other drugs in her system, including sedatives and an anesthetic that can cause dream-like states.

But Keddy said because she was a long-time drug user and had a high tolerance, she would have still beeen mobile and capable of climbing into the laundry chute on her own.

Keddy said the level of drugs in her body would have killed most people or at least rendered them unconscious, but a drug called Zyban likedly countered the sedating effects of the other drugs and alcohol.

Testimony at the inquiry wrapped up Wednesday and the jury will now be asked to make recommendations to avoid similar situations in the future.