Wakefield Man Died After Being Given Trial Drug Treatment

The family of a father-of-two from Wakefield who died days after being treated with a trial drug following a heart attack have revealed how they are hoping for answers from an upcoming inquest into his death.

Kitchen and bathroom fitter Tim Hancock died aged 48 at Leeds General Infirmary on November 25th 2016, around a week after he was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack.

After the heart attack Tim underwent surgery for a stent to be fitted and was also administered with a trial blood thinning drug Alteplase. However, shortly afterwards he suffered a brain haemorrhage and following a second bleed on the brain days later, he passed away.

Following his death, Tim’s family instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the care he received and an inquest will take place at Wakefield Coroners Court from 17th April and is expected to last for four days. An inquest had been scheduled for December, but was adjourned.

Rebecca Haigh, the solicitor and medical law expert at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office who is acting for the family, said: 

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“Around a year on from Tim’s death, his loved ones remain understandably devastated and desperate for answers regarding the circumstances regarding his death.

“We are hopeful that the forthcoming inquest will go some way towards clarifying whether Tim’s medical treatment was appropriate and help his loved ones get answers to the many questions they have.” Rebecca Jones - Associate Solicitor

Tim’s family holds hope that the inquest will deliver them answers regarding the lack of diagnosis of his endocarditis prior to his death. Endocarditis is a rare and potentially fatal infection of the inner lining of the heart. 

After Tim’s death, Leeds General Infirmary told the family they would not have given Tim the trial drug, had his endocarditis been diagnosed.

Karen, 47, said: “Tim was a much-loved husband and father and the entire family miss him so much every day.

“While nothing will ever bring Tim back, we all still have so many questions regarding how he died and whether a diagnosis of endocarditis would have avoided him being given the trial drug and therefore if he, would still be alive. 

“We truly hope that this inquest will help us understand if anymore could have been done to prevent his death.”

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's experience in medical negligence claims.