Solicitors and the family of a 20-year amateur footballer who died of sepsis after failings in his healthcare are calling on a coroner to extend the length and scope of the Inquest into his death to ensure ‘all aspects of his treatment are fully explored’.
Luke Abrahams, from East Hunsbury, died at Northampton General Hospital on January 23, 2023, just a week after he’d first complained of feeling unwell with a sore throat.
He was initially diagnosed by his GP as having tonsillitis, and then sciatica as he developed unbearable cramp pains in his leg over the following week.
During that time he was assessed by health professionals on six separate occasions before finally being admitted to hospital. This included being assessed by a crew from East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) three days before his death, who made a decision not to take him to hospital.
A Serious Incident Investigation at the EMAS Trust has since concluded that Luke had displayed symptoms which should have been recorded as a ‘Red’ score – indicating an immediately life-threatening condition.
The investigation described the failure to take Luke to hospital as a ‘missed opportunity to seek extra medical help which could have prevented deterioration’. It said the crew had failed to follow guidelines and policies.
Two days later, on January 22nd, Luke was rushed to hospital by ambulance and the full extent of his illness was finally discovered. He had sepsis and the life-threatening infection necrotising fasciitis, also known as the ‘flesh-eating disease’.
A decision was taken to amputate his leg in an effort to save his life, but he died, having suffered a cardiac arrest, after surgery.
Father says Inquest must be longer
A one-day Inquest into Luke’s death has been scheduled for May 22nd this year, something Luke’s family, and his legal team, say isn’t enough to fully investigate what went wrong, and why.
Luke’s father Richard said:
To list the Inquest for just a single day is not enough, and to me would basically be an insult to Luke, and the value of his place in the world. I know lots of Luke’s friends want to attend and they want answers as much as we do as a family.
I want everybody who made or were involved in decisions which may have contributed to Luke no longer being with us to be called to give evidence, and be questioned at the Inquest.
I want to be able to look them in the eyes. I think it is important that they see us, and the impact Luke’s death has had on us as a family. I see too many cases in the media of people losing their lives and hospital trusts carrying out reviews and saying lessons have been learned, but beyond that, what action is taken?
In my mind, there now needs to be a change. There needs to be more serious consequences for people who make mistakes which cost lives, and I think facing up to a family and giving evidence to an Inquest, not just submitting a statement, is a minimum requirement.
Death initially recorded as ‘natural’ and no Inquest held
Luke’s death was recorded at the time as being of ‘natural causes’ and an Inquest was not called to examine the exact circumstances and medical care provided.
However, last year Luke’s family approached retired lawyer Radd Seiger for help, who introduced them to Hudgell Solicitors.
Following the findings of the East Midlands Ambulance Service serious incident investigation, solicitor Elizabeth Maliakal successfully called upon Anne Pember, Senior Coroner for Northamptonshire, to open an Inquest.
Now she is asking for it to be extended from one day to five, allowing more time to call witnesses including doctors, accident and emergency clinicians, paramedics, consultants and surgeons.
She also says the Coroner should consider extending the scope of the Inquest, by potentially hearing it under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
Mrs Maliakal said:
There have already been failures identified in Luke’s treatment from the ambulance service and an Inquest provides the opportunity to ensure all aspects of his treatment over the final week of his life are fully explored.
This should include when he was assessed by his own GP, by out of hours centres, the NHS 111 service and also at Northampton General Hospital A&E department, where he was discharged before being readmitted days later.
We believe the number of witnesses and scope of the Inquest needs to be considered, and have requested a Pre-Inquest Review be held to do so.
Having initially been told that Luke died from natural causes and that there would be no inquest, to then having it only listed for one day, Luke’s family are keen to ensure that a full investigation is undertaken by the Coroner and that no stone is left unturned so that they can obtain justice for their son, that there is accountability for his loss.
‘Two years on, the pain of Luke’s loss is the same’
January 23rd 2025 marks two years since Luke’s death, and Mr Abrahams says it will be spent remembering a son who was hugely popular in the local community, and a devastating loss to so many.
We’ll be marking the day on Thursday but I don’t like to call it an anniversary, as every day without Luke is a nightmare. We miss him and think about him every day, and when I look at a picture of him I keep saying ‘why?’ over and over again.
That is why the Inquest is so important to us. We need to do the best by him, and for me that has to be by ensuring a full investigation and accountability. On the day he died we were called to hospital three hours after doctors began to worry that he may not make it.
That was three hours taken away from us to sit with our son and to tell him how much we loved him. In the end we had five minutes before he went in for surgery, and we never saw him alive again. We have so many answers to find, and this Inquest, and our legal support, is the only way to get them.
