Widow of Scots dad who died of head injury at camp 'doesn't blame 999 call handler'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The widow of a dad who died of a head injury at an ‘off grid’ hutters' camp said she doesn’t blame the 999 call handler who failed to send an ambulance.Dad-of-three Brian O’Neill, 59, was pronounced dead the morning after a fall at the Carbeth Hutters Community, in Stirlingshire, in June 2020.A judge this week awarded his family £500,000 in damages in a case against the Scottish Ambulance Service, determining that there were links between failures on the part of a service employee and Mr O’Neill’s death.Mr O’Neill’s widow Lynda said: “I don’t blame the employee.

She said she hadn’t had the right training and she obviously didn’t or she wouldn’t have made that mistake.“We’re just glad that there will be lessons learned and it might help other people.“We’re devastated.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. Brian and I were together all my life.”The family of Mr O’Neill raised an action against the Scottish Ambulance Service Board at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which was contested.The court heard that Mr O’Neill, who previously suffered a stroke and was prescribed anti-platelet medication, was drinking with a group at one of the huts before he fell and hit his head.Dr Leanne Rae, who was also visiting the huts, went to see if she could help the injured dad.Dr Rae looked at the wound and told Mr O’Neill she needed to call for assistance as it was still bleeding.An initial 999 call was made and a call handler categorised it as requiring further triage and remote consultation.

Trainee advanced paramedic practitioner Elaine Noden then called back and spoke to Dr Rae, but no ambulance was sent to transport Mr O’Neill to hospital.The court previously heard how he was found the following morning on the floor and