Woman’s family settles six High Court actions over her death

The family of a woman who went to hospital with left-sided abdominal pain but later died has settled six High Court actions over her death.

Mary Moorehouse’s family had sued two Dublin hospitals for nervous shock and over the death of the 42-year-old woman over four years ago.

The family’s senior counsel, Richard Kean, with Esther Earley BL, told the High Court it was their case that Ms Moorehouse, who was admitted to St Michael’s Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, at around noon on April 23rd, 2019, was wrongly diagnosed with diverticulitis when, in fact, it was a vein rupture.

Counsel said they contended that if the iliac vein rupture had been diagnosed it could have been repaired but “tragically it was not” and there was an alleged “enormous delay “before Ms Moorehouse was transferred to St Vincent’s hospital, Dublin, shortly before 11pm.

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In the meantime, he said, Ms Moorehouse had suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated. At St Vincent’s she had a scan and had to have emergency surgery to repair the left ruptured iliac vein. She was transferred to intensive care but died the next morning.

All the claims were denied by both hospitals.

Counsel told the court that an incident review at St Michael’s Hospital identified a delay in accessing emergency treatments and services for Mrs Moorehouse.

As part of the review the hospital also apologised unreservedly to the family and said it was committed to ensure that lessons were learned to improve the services for future patients.

Counsel told the court that Mr Moorehouse’s four children – the youngest was 13 years of age at the time of her death – had settled nervous shock actions for €45,000 each. Mr Moorehouse also settled his nervous shock action and a case he brought on behalf of his family over the untimely death of his wife. Counsel said that case was settled for a substantial sum.

All the settlements were without an admission of liability.

Mr Kean said the Moorhouse family wanted the court to know that the money involved “was irrelevant to them”.

Christopher Moorehouse, of Wicklow town, Co Wicklow had sued St Vincent’s hospital Dublin and St Michael’s Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin over the death of his wife.

It was claimed against St Michael’s Hospital that a wrong diagnosis was made and there was a failure to arrange for the urgent emergency transfer of Ms Moorehouse to St Vincent’s for a scan and further urgent assessment. Instead, it was claimed, there was an unnecessary delay in arranging the transfer which was fatal for Ms Moorehouse.

It was claimed her condition was caused to deteriorate over a period of about 11 hours and she was denied the opportunity of early surgical intervention to treat her ruptured vein.

Against St Vincent’s hospital it was claimed there was a failure to heed the woman’s deteriorating condition following her surgery and a failure to take all necessary steps and conduct all necessary assessments to establish the cause of her continuing deteriorating condition.

Both hospitals denied all the claims.

Noting the settlements and approving the division of the statutory mental distress €35,000 payment, Mr Justice Paul Coffey conveyed his deepest sympathy to Mr Moorehouse and all the family.