Health board criticised over speech therapist’s death 7/4/14
Western Isles NHS Board has been urged not to send staff out in “dangerous” weather, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.
Speech therapist Lorna Macdonald of Cross Street, Stornoway, died after her vehicle plunged into a freshwater loch in a storm with roads flooded by torrential rain near Horsacleit Lodge on Harris in November 2011.
The 26-
Giving evidence at the inquiry in Stornoway today (Mon), Lorna’s mother, Peigi Flora Macdonald, repeatedly stressed she believed Western Isles Health Board should have “prevented anybody going out in such conditions.”
If they took measures like not sending employees out on the road or phoning them to stay where they were in worsening conditions then “this could have been prevented,” she said.
She stated: “As soon as they became aware of the conditions they should have stopped people going out.”
She believed the health board closed down some departments that afternoon due to the weather.
Mrs Macdonald said: “I think you should consider people out there. You should be
asking, are they safe, can I contact them. The storm is worsening -
“They could have contacted her in Leverburgh and told her the conditions are dangerous and not to proceed until further notice.”
Any general policy on bad weather is just on “file and is not going to save anyone’s life. They have got to get in touch with the person.”
She said health bosses should have considered staff driving in such wild weather
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Mrs Macdonald last saw her daughter alive when she came home for lunch.
She “cringed when I heard” she was to drive to Lever burgh -
Mrs Macdonald said it was “sad to say,” no-
Mark Fitzpatrick, the advocate representing the health body, said the health board had tried to make contact.
He said it was “not accurate” that health departments closed early due to weather that day.
He said: “I understand bad weather is not unknown in this part of the north of Scotland”
Mrs Macdonald replied: “People in the Western Isles are now more weather aware that they were now someone has lost their life to the conditions.”
A specialist traffic collision investigation concluded that the cause of the accident rested entirely with the driver losing control of the car .
Police investigator John Forsyth told lawyer Angus Macdonald, representing Lorna’s family, the reason (for losing control) is not known.”
He believed it was probably due to “excessive speed to the prevailing road and weather conditions.”
Mr Forsyth agreed it was possible the car aquaplaned on what the lawyer called “rivers of water” on road.
The inquiry continues.