Mum-of-two, 55, died after tripping and falling throughout hospital appointment
An ‘animal lover’ mum with a walking frame tragically tripped over a metal flap when the hospital entrance wasn’t being monitored for trip hazards, leaving her children ‘absolutely traumatised’
A mum-of-two died after tripping and falling on a “trip hazard” outside a hospital entrance, her grieving family has claimed. Lorna Loxton, 55, was attending hospital for a cardiology appointment when tragedy struck.
Living with a genetic muscle weakness condition called myotonic dystrophy, she was walking to a taxi with a three-wheeled walking frame when it got stuck in a metal flap. Lorna fell to the ground, breaking her hip and hitting her head on the ground.
The former auxiliary nurse’s walking frame got lodged in the metal flap outside Bristol Royal Infirmary, it is believed. The metal covered a bollard. Although she had hip surgery, her condition deteriorated and she died in hospital on January 28, three weeks later.
The cause of death is yet to be formally established. An inquest will be underway in the future with the help of the law firm Slater and Gordon.
Her daughter Danni, 30, and son Mark, 35, described their mother as an animal lover, who enjoyed riding and caring for horses, as well as looking after her three dogs.
Danni, an entertainment manager, said: “She couldn’t work for a lot of years because of her illness, some days she couldn’t even get out of bed, but she did the very best she could.
“When she would come and see my shows, she was so proud of me. I will always remember how much she loved me and Mark, and how proud she was of him too for being so independent even though he has the same condition she did.
“I would speak to her all the time and she lived her life as best she could. The way we lost her has been absolutely traumatic.”
Samantha Griffiths, senior associate at Slater and Gordon, said: “Hospitals should be one of the safest possible environments for people with mobility problems who use mobility aids, but this has been far from the case in Lorna’s situation.”
The bollard posts were not being monitored by the estates and facilities team at the time that Ms Loxton fell and caused a “trip hazard”, according to the law firm.
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) said: “We are committed to working with the coroner and are unable to comment further while the inquest process is under way.”
They said they offer their “heartfelt condolences to Lorna’s family”.
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