On November 1, 1996, a mother of three children was home with her 7 week old baby and her 3 year old son when she noticed that her 3 year old was no longer playing by the television. She went to check on him in his room when she heard her baby crying. Entering her bedroom to check on the baby she found her 3 year old up on the bed leaning over the baby. This was to be the beginning of a very traumatic event in the life of this typical family. Before the first day was done, the mother would be told that her baby had a fractured skull and may not live through the night. In addition, Family Services and the RCMP were dispatched to her home to pick up her children who were to be taken into custody while authorities investigated. It is one thing to be told your child might not survive the night, quite another to have your family ripped from you home at 1:00 am and taken away. Rush to Judgement describes the traumatic process that this family endured over a two year period, from the initial medical examination through to the final court pronouncement.

It is a process that is kick-started when it is suspected a child has suffered injury, possibly by the parent(s).