Woman's death after bollard fall 'was an accident'

An accident which saw a woman trip and fall outside a hospital led to her death, a coroner has found.

Lorna Loxton, a former auxiliary nurse, lived with myotonic dystrophy, a genetic disorder which causes progressive muscle weakness.

In January 2025, the 55-year-old tripped on a bollard which had a metal flap protruding from it outside the Bristol Heart Institute. She suffered a head injury and a broken hip, and died in hospital three weeks later.

At an inquest at Avon Coroners' Court earlier, area coroner Dr Peter Harrowing concluded her death was an accident. A spokesperson for the hospital said it investigated what happened before Loxton's death and shared its findings with the coroner.

Harrowing said Loxton's death was caused by "a combination of the effects of her fall and her underlying health conditions".

After the inquest, Loxton's daughter Danni Pearce said the "trip hazard" was a "tragedy waiting to happen".

"Mum was such an amazing person who overcame so much to live the independent life she wanted," she said.

"My brother Mark and I loved her so much and will always be so proud of her and how she battled myotonic dystrophy to do things on her own, including being able to attend her hospital appointments."

"We are devastated that mum suffered the indignity of falling as she left the hospital, over what the NHS trust themselves described as a 'trip hazard', and also admitted the area had not been subject to a health and safety risk assessment," she added.

"This is not good enough and is not in the best interests of any patients, visitors or staff.

"For those like mum, who fought so hard just to get around, this was a tragedy waiting to happen."

Samantha Griffiths, senior associate at Slater and Gordon, represented Loxton's family.

She said: "The fact this piece of metal was there, unchecked, in one of the main entrances to a hospital, for anyone to trip over is completely unacceptable."

She said University Hospitals Bristol and Weston (UHBW) NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the heart institute, "should have done better" for the safety of its patients and visitors.

"Lorna's case must serve as an urgent reminder to hospitals and healthcare settings everywhere to make sure they conduct thorough risk assessments of their sites," she added.

Representatives for the NHS trust told the coroner the metal flaps are now checked monthly to ensure they are properly secured.

In a statement after the inquest, UHBW's managing director Prof Stuart Walker said: "The trust has conducted a thorough investigation into the events that preceded Lorna's death and shared our findings with the coroner.

"We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Lorna's family."

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