Tipperary family settles two death cases as hospitals apologise

South Tipperary General Hospital has apologised in the High Court to the family of a man who died of a heart attack the day after he was discharged from hospital.

Tipperary family settles two death cases as hospitals apologise
Esther

By Ann O'Loughlin

South Tipperary General Hospital has apologised in the High Court to the family of a man who died of a heart attack the day after he was discharged from hospital.

PJ Lonergan was 39 years of age when he died of acute irregular heartbeat the morning after he was sent home from the hospital after having two ECGs.

The apology was read out in court as Mr Lonergan's son Mark settled for €900,000 his High Court action against the HSE over the care of his father at South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel, four years ago.

And in another separate case before the High Court today the Department of Psychiartry at St Luke's Hospital Kilkenny apologised to the Lonergan family as they settled an action against the HSE over the death of PJ Lonergan's father, Eddie Lonergan, who died on January 10, 2013, the day after he was discharged from the hospital where he was receiving psychiatric care.

Approving both settlements Mr Justice Kevin Cross sympathised with the Lonergan family of Templenoe, Cashel, Co Tipperary, on their sad loss and said he hoped they will now be able to get on with their lives.

The settlement in relation to the death of Mr Eddie Lonergan was confidential.

PJ Lonergan's son Mark (aged 19) had through his mother Anne Marie Butler sued the HSE over the death of his father PJ Lonergan on May 7, 2014.

It was claimed there was a failure to admit 39-year-old PJ Lonergan to the hosptial on May 6, 2014 when he presented at the Accident and Emergency department and had two ECGs.

It was claimed there was also an alleged failure to pay sufficient heed to an abnormal ECG and an alleged failure to consider all the possible different diagnoses for a patient with abnormal ECG findings.

Mark Lonergan's counsel Aidan Doyle SC said the HSE accepted Mr Lonergan should not have been discharged, but contended that had the heart attack taken place in the hospital, the result may have been the same.

Esther Lonergan, from Cashel, Co. Tipperary pictured speaking to the media outside the Four Courts today after two High Court actions taken by the Lonergan family were ruled by the court.
Esther Lonergan, from Cashel, Co. Tipperary pictured speaking to the media outside the Four Courts today after two High Court actions taken by the Lonergan family were ruled by the court.

In the apology read out in the High Court, South Tipperary General Hospital apologised for the shortcomings in care to Mr PJ Lonergan.

The hospital also extended sincere sympathy and condolences to the Lonergan family and acknowledged his death has been a great source of distress to his family.

Mr Doyle SC said PJ Lonergan, a stove engineer went to his GP and was referred to South Tipperary Hospital on March 6, 2014. He was triaged and had two ECGS.

The first ECG showed changes but a second ECG showed an improvement and Mr Lonergan was deemed fit for discharge. Counsel said it was their case that Mr Lonergan should not have been discharged from hospital given the findings of one of the ECGs.

Approving the €900,00 settlement Mr Justice Cross said it was a very sad case but the settlement was an excellent one.

In the second case before the court Esther Lonergan, PJ Lonergan's mother, settled her action over the death of her husband Eddie Lonergan on January 10, 2013.

Mrs Lonergan had been married to her husband Eddie for 50 years when he took his own life on January 10, 2013, the day after he was discharged from St Luke's Hospital Kilkenny where he had been receiving psychiatric care.

In court today, St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, apologised to Mrs Lonergan and the Lonergan family for the care provided to Eddie Lonergan.

South Tipperary General Hospital
South Tipperary General Hospital

Mrs Lonergan's counsel Jeremy Maher SC said Mr Eddie Lonergan was a father and grandfather and he and his wife had been married 50 years at the time of his death.

Counsel said it was another tragic year for the Lonergan family.

Eddie Lonergan, he said, was transferred from another hosital to St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny which was a designated centre for acute psychaitricc care on January 8, 2013.

The next day he was discharged from St Luke's and Counsel said he should have been kept there.

Mr Lonergan disappeared after that and despite a massive search for him he was not discovered until January 10 in a field near his own home and he had taken his own life.

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