Woman who ‘died’ at home woke up in morgue hours later
An inquest into the death of a woman who was taken to the morgue rather than A&E, and then woke up, has heard that for two hours she received 'no treatment at all'.
Darlington woman Olive Martin, 54, collapsed in her home on 13 October, 2023, with police and paramedics attending the scene.
Olive is believed to have suffered a seizure, and paramedics took her to Darlington Hospital Mortuary instead of A&E as she was thought to have died.
However, after her arrival, mortuary staff discovered that the woman was still alive, with the Metro reporting that the inquest heard she woke up before she then died from brain damage a short time later.
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In a tribute to her memory, her family had said: "Our Mam will always be remembered for her kind heart, her infectious personality and her positivity day in and day out.
"She was our warrior, and she will be deeply missed by every person she has ever met. We would request privacy at this difficult time."
Tom Barclay Semple, a representative for Olive's family, told the inquest that the woman went for two hours without receiving treatment and asked if things might have been different if she'd been taken to A&E rather than the morgue.
"If Olive had been treated in the way she should have and taken to hospital, would the outcome have been different?" he asked the inquest.
"There is a credible argument to say there was a window of opportunity where Olive received no treatment at all.
“It was clear that there was a real and immediate risk to her life. [Her life] was in the hands of paramedics."
Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said to the court that they didn't know how long Olive had been starved of oxygen before the emergency services reached her.
Barclay Semple said that toast had been found in the woman's toaster, and it appeared she had been getting ready to go to work, suggesting to the inquest that 'we can extrapolate from that' or use her body temperature to work out when she had her seizure.
James Donnelly of the North East Ambulance Service explained to the court that Olive had been 'observed in the mortuary to have some signs of life'.
The inquest also heard from John Gray of Durham Constabulary, who said there was evidence of 'brain function' in the form of 'responding to stimuli either by verbal or gripping'.
Last year, Durham Constabulary concluded their investigation into Olive's death without charges, the BBC reported.
Andrew Hodge, Director of Paramedicine at North East Ambulance Service, had said previously: "As soon as we were made aware of this incident, we opened an investigation and contacted the patient’s family.
"We are deeply sorry for the distress that this has caused them. A full review of this incident is being undertaken and we are unable to comment any further at this stage. The colleagues involved are being supported appropriately."
The inquest has been adjourned until 30 January next year.
Joe Harker