Husband and son awarded €650,000 for shock after mum died following C-section
The husband and son of a woman who died at the National Maternity Hospital hours after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section to deliver her baby have settled for €650,000 their High Court action for nervous shock.
Nora Hyland (31) a Malaysian woman who was living at Charlotte Quay in Dublin 4 at the time, died on the operating table at the National Maternity Hospital (NMH), Holles Street, on February 13, 2012, within three hours of undergoing an emergency Caesarean section to deliver her son Frederick.
An inquest later returned a verdict of medical misadventure in the case of the first-time mother who had to wait almost 40 minutes for a blood transfusion after she suffered severe bleeding following an emergency birth.
Dublin coroner Dr Brian Farrell found the cause of death was a cardiac arrest as a result of severe post-partum haemorrhage. However, he said that he was not able to say the delay in Mrs Hyland receiving blood was a "definite" risk factor in her death.
The inquest previously heard that a labelling error in the laboratory contributed to a 37-minute delay in Mrs Hyland receiving a blood transfusion. No emergency supply units of O-negative, the universal blood type, were kept in operating theatres at the NMH at the time.
In the High Court today Mr Justice Kevin Cross approved the €650,000 settlement on behalf of Nora's husband Stephen Hyland and their son Frederick. The Hyland's counsel Sasha Louise Gayer SC with Sara Antoniotti BL told the court the settlement was without admission of liability. She said the Hylands were satisfied with the settlment but were too upset to attend court.
Counsel said Ms Hyland died after delivering her first child Frederick. The baby was delivered successfully but Ms Hyland began to lose a lot of blood. Steps were taken in theatre and a request for blood Counsel said was made just after midnight and a blood transfusion took place at 12.45 am.
At the inquest, Counsel said the hospital indicated new protocols were later put in place in relation to blood supply stock.
Stephen Hyland, (42) Station Road, Portmarnock, Co Dublin had sued the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Dublin for nervous shock over the shocking and traumatic circumstances leading to and surrounding the death of his wife after she had her baby son, Frederick by caesarean section in 2012.
On February 2012 Ms Hyland had her baby by caesarean section but went on to suffer a massive post partum haemorrhage and blood loss.
It was claimed the medical records report that no blood was given to Ms Hyland until 12.40am when she had her first transfusion of the O negative blood. She had several more units of blood but she went at 1.45 am Ms Hyland went in cardiac arrest and efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.
Mr Hyland claimed he suffered severe and profound nervous shock, upset and mental distress as a result of what happened.
The claims were denied. Approving the settlement Mr Justice Kevin Cross sympathised with the Hyland family on their loss.
At the time of the inquest in 2014, Mr Hyland paid tribute to his late wife whom he met while travelling in Malaysia. They were together for eight years and married for three-and-a-half before her death.
“Nora was the most gentle, kindest, warm-hearted, beautiful little lady that I ever met. I fell in love with her the very first time that I saw her. She was just full of life, loved nature, loved animals,” he said.
Their son Frederick he added was “full of health, full of life".
"He is making me laugh and smile and every time I see him, I see Nora," he said
