The Montpellier prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to investigate the causes of the death of a 25-year-old woman on October 15, who died from meningitis after emergency services did not respond despite two calls, one to SAMU and another to the firefighters, learned the world before the Public Ministry, Tuesday, October 29. The family filed a complaint, which attributes the delay to the lack of activation of emergency services, stated the same source, confirming information from the site. Metropolitan.
The objective of the investigations is to know if “the failure to activate the emergency services after the two calls constitutes a fault given the information communicated to the operator”the prosecution explained, adding that the analysis of the telephone recordings was underway. The investigation also seeks to determine if “This delay is likely to have an impact on the young woman’s death. An expert opinion will be ordered in this regard in a second step.”added the prosecution.
It was a friend of the victim who contacted emergency services. In another article of Metropolitansays the 25-year-old woman “he vomited all night” from Monday, October 14 to Tuesday, October 15, before reaching “high fevers”. Informed of her state of health, she decided to call SAMU for the first time, at 3:15 p.m., according to her. She exchanged with a “operator or doctor on duty, I don’t know”who advised him to manage “sugar water”before sending it to SOS-Médecins, without sending a support team.
“My body is burning, I’m going to die”
Then, thirty minutes later, seeing that her friend’s condition was worsening, she called number 18. “A firefighter changed me again to the operator of Center 15, an orientation that was not followed up, since I had just completed the SAMU. I made it clear in every call that she is asthmatic and has a lot of difficulty breathing. They advised me to give him his Ventolin”reported. In this case no caregiver was sent either.
She then claimed to have called again on the 18th after her friend had fainted and she had noticed. “stools with blood red liquid”as well as the young woman’s inability to move her legs and one hand. Following the recommendations of the operator she spoke to on the phone, she gave her friend pain-reducing medication, ran her hand through water and forced her to take a hot shower, she continued.
Shortly before 5:00 p.m., with the help of a friend and his vehicle, he transported the young woman to the Saint-Roch clinic. According to her story, her friend was breathing increasingly weaker and the Ventolin she was prescribed had no effect. The young woman repeated: “I see everything white, my body burns, I’m going to die”before losing consciousness during the trip. Elements confirmed by the prosecutor’s office that announced that the young woman was “inanimate and in a state of great cardio-respiratory difficulty” when he arrived at the clinic. She was then transported by SMUR to the emergency room of Montpellier University Hospital.
Internal investigation at the Montpellier University Hospital
“The attention was insufficient. The death of the young woman was confirmed shortly before 7:30 p.m. on October 15, with a medical-legal obstacle. [c’est-à-dire que les services funéraires sont suspendus jusqu’à autorisation donnée par l’autorité judiciaire] », communicated the prosecutor, establishing that “The cause of death is certain: diagnosis of meningitis confirmed during the medico-legal autopsy (invasive meningococcal infection – serious communicable disease). The adapted protocol has been implemented by the health authorities.”
On Friday, October 25, the Montpellier University Hospital expressed its “emotion” After “the sudden death of a young 25-year-old patient”in a press release. The hospital has launched an internal investigation and assures that measures have been taken “already taken”. For its part, the Occitanie regional health agency (ARS) launched an inspection mission.
The death of this 25-year-old woman is reminiscent of that of Naomi Musenga, in 2017. At the age of 22, she had contacted SAMU out of pain and they had not taken her seriously. He died late in the afternoon. Corinne M., regulator of SAMU 67, was sentenced, on Thursday, July 4, to twelve months of suspended prison by the Strasbourg criminal court for failing to assist a person in danger.
