GP to pay €125,000 over death of woman after Pill led to blood clot
THE parents of a young woman who died from a blood clot caused by using a contraceptive pill said last night that she had been destined for "great things".
Ray and Angela Hennessy settled a High Court action yesterday against their daughter's GP for €125,000. Dr Hassan al Bayyari was Julie Hennessy's doctor before her death on March 22, 2007.
Last night, Mr Hennessy said the family would never get over their youngest daughter's death.
Speaking to the Irish Independent at the family's Cork home, he said: "It is almost five years since Julie's death and we haven't gotten over it -- she was our youngest and she was our only daughter who still lived in Ireland."
Two older daughters both work overseas.
Mr Hennessy said the family were too upset to attend the brief High Court hearing in Dublin yesterday.
"I haven't spoken to my solicitor, so I do not want to comment on the case," he said.
"But Julie was a remarkable young woman -- she worked with an American hedge fund company in Dublin and was headed for great things."
The Hennessys claimed for damages, emotional upset, trauma, loss and other damage as a result of Julie's "wrongful death" caused by the alleged negligence and breach of duty on the part of the defendant.
Dr John O'Mahony, for the Hennessys, told the court that a letter of apology had been received from Dr Bayyari of Maple Drive, Castleknock, Dublin.
It was claimed that on March 13, 2007 -- nine days before her death -- Julie (31) attended Dr Bayyari. She had complained of lower limb pain following a fall while skiing four weeks previously.
One week later, she again attended Dr Bayyari, complaining of fatigue, lack of energy and shortness of breath. It was claimed that on that date Dr Bayyari was aware of Julie's previous history of asthma and migraine and that she was using Ventolin and Beclazone for her asthma, a beta blocker (Metacor) for her migraine and an oral contraceptive medication.
The statement also claimed that notwithstanding her symptoms Dr Bayyari allegedly failed to properly diagnose that Julie was suffering or potentially suffering from a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT)/pulmonary embolism and failed to refer her to a hospital.
It was claimed that as a result of the GP's failure to diagnose ,the deceased remained untreated. She was found dead on March 22, 2007.
Court documents also claim the cause of death was given as pulmonary embolism, due to DVT with coincidental oral contraceptive use. It was alleged that Julie had raised the possibility of DVT with her doctor.
A Dublin coroner's inquest heard in 2007 that she was found dead at her Archers Wood home in Blanchardstown -- and pathologist Dr Peter Szontagh-Kishazi said he believed that the pill was the cause of the fatal clot.
The inquest recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
- Ralph Riegel and Aoife Finneran
Irish Independent
