Lexington teen’s death in Utah prompts calls for new coroner legislation. Here’s why.
A Lexington teenager’s death several states away from home left his mother traumatized. But the way she found out about his death left her screaming in her front yard.
Now, with the help of a state senator, she’s hoping a new law dictating how Kentucky coroner’s offices notify families of deaths will ensure that no family has to go through what she went through.
Senate Bill 66, also known as “Nathan’s Law” in honor of Nathan Burnett, was introduced by state Sen. Ralph Alvarado after speaking with Burnett’s mother, Stacey Burnett. Stacey Burnett said the Fayette County coroner’s office didn’t have enough details to provide the information she wanted after her son’s death.
Nathan Burnett died on March 30 after crashing into a tree at the Park City Mountain Resort in Park City Mountain, Utah, during a spring break trip. The 18-year-old who “lived life to the fullest” was adventurous and loved outdoor sports. The manner in which the news of his death was given to his mother only made the trauma worse for her, Stacey Burnett said.
She was in her front yard getting the mail and her husband was just about to pull out of the driveway when the coroner’s van pulled up to their Lexington home. She was given a piece of paper with a note scrawled on it, informing her to call a sheriff in Utah who could give her more information, she told the Herald-Leader.
The family wanted answers from the coroner’s office.
“We started saying ‘Is Nathan dead? Did he die? Is he dead?’” Burnett said. The deputy coroner who showed up at their home said he couldn’t tell them more. “I started screaming in the front yard and my kids were right there.”
Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said he wasn’t immediately familiar with Burnett’s case, but he was sorry that the situation happened. When a Fayette County resident dies in another county or state, he said it is typical for himself and his deputy coroners to direct the family to contact officials where the death happened to ensure they are getting the most accurate information.
“A lot of times (detail about the death) gets misconstrued from one person to another,” Ginn said.
But Ginn said his office does make as much effort as possible to speak with families in person. Ginn also said he directs his deputies to speak with family members compassionately and take as long as they need to when speaking with the families of victims.
“Death notifications are very difficult, and each one is different,” he said.
Ginn said he hadn’t yet read the proposed bill, but “if it’s for the betterment of the overall organization, or coroners, or police or medical examiners, or whatever, I’m very much for that if it’s going to better our group of people.”
Burnett found out she wasn’t alone in having these concerns. Alvarado on Monday recounted the story of a Kentucky family which learned of a loved one’s death when they came home to find a note, written by a coroner, pinned to their door. They didn’t receive an in-person notice about their family member’s death.
“I realized it wasn’t uncommon,” Burnett said. “I started to look into what the actual coroner training, and their bylaws basically have nothing.”
Burnett said she contacted Rep. Andy Barr, who got her in touch with Alvarado to help craft legislation.
Under the bill, which was unanimously approved by the state Senate Monday, coroners and deputy coroners would be required to go through grief training to receive their monthly compensation. That training be at least a four-hour course conducted by the Department of Criminal Justice Training.
The training would “include instruction on the grieving process and best practices for providing a notice of death to a spouse or next of kin and may include instruction on other similar topics,” according to the proposed bill.
The course would have to be taken within three years of the official taking office, according to the bill.
The bill would also clarify who’s responsible for notifying family members of an individual’s death if the person who died lived in one jurisdiction but died in another. The bill’s proposed language would require the coroner where the death happened to contact the coroner or other official where the person’s family lives.
Additionally, the coroner’s office would have to notify an emergency medical assistance agency about death notifications and the agency would have to be on standby while the coroner’s office notifies family members.
Another member of the coroner’s office, a law enforcement officer, a clergy member, a grief counselor or another “respected member of the community” would have to accompany the coroner’s office when they visit the family to notify them.
The death notification would have to be delivered in person, orally and “in a respectful manner,” according to the proposed bill. The coroner or deputy coroner would also have to help the family member who they notified contact others, and follow-up with the victim’s family within 48 hours of letting them know about the death.
Alvarado said during a Senate session Monday that he felt the Burnetts’ story was “a very sad one and tragic one.”
Nathan’s Law would still need to be approved by the state House of Representatives. The final version would have to be agreed upon by both legislative bodies and signed by Gov. Andy Beshear. Burnett said she feels it’s “going in the right direction.”
“It’s not going to change the fact that Nathan died, but I think if other families get a little bit more compassion and a little bit more professionalism, it’ll hopefully be less traumatic,” Burnett said.
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 8:29 AM.