Bus driver died while recovering from car crash injuries

Adam Stuyvesant suddenly collapsed at a Highworth garage on August 22, 2022, a few days after he had fractured his arm and ankle in a car accident.

An inquest held at Swindon and Wiltshire Coroners Court on Friday revealed what area coroner Ian Singleton described as a “tragic sequence of events”, and investigated whether more could have been done by Great Western Hospital staff who examined Mr Stuyvesant after the road traffic collision to prevent the 31-year-old’s death.

While driving home from work in Salisbury via Marlborough Road in Pewsey at around 1.18am on August 17, 2022, Adam Connolly Stuyvesant swerved left to avoid a fox that had wandered in front of him on the canal bridge.

His Vauxhall Astra clipped a brick wall on the side of the bridge, causing the vehicle to lose control and veer to the right, where it collided with a tree and fence on the roadside.

Paramedics took him to Great Western Hospital, where he received treatment for a fractured right forearm and left ankle, was fitted with a plastic boot, and then discharged later that day when his mother Valerie collected him.

The court heard that he was taken off work for six weeks and spent his first days of recovery in good spirits, then asked his mum to drive him to the Blackworth Industrial Estate because he wanted to collect things from his car.

Upon arrival, Adam walked to his car and began clearing out the vehicle with help from garage staff and his mother who, at one point, turned to see him lying flat on his back.

Ambulances rushed to the scene but, despite emergency workers’ best efforts, he died at 2.33pm.

A pathologist’s report found that the cause of death was lower leg immobilisation that led to Deep Vein Thrombosis which caused a fatal pulmonary embolism.

Evidence from Great Western Hospital staff revealed that a full DVT assessment had been missed because the patient scored too low to receive blood-thinning medication.

Emergency medicine registrar Dr Thomas Morris said: “The result would not have been different, no other action would have been taken before he was released.

“The boot was meant to encourage mobility and support the limb to allow healing."

Emergency medicine consultant Dr Bushra Sohail added: "When the boot is in a fixed position, it does affect the pump mechanism."

Mr Stuyvesant was advised to keep mobile as much as possible but his mother told the court that they received no specific guidance about blood clotting.

A spokesperson from Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our deepest sympathy and condolences go to the family of Mr Stuyvesant following his sad death.

“Since this case, the trust has reviewed its policy regarding assessment for anti-coagulation therapy to reduce the risk of anything similar from happening again.

"This includes making deep vein thrombosis assessments more robust and ensuring medical staff are more aware of the assessment process.

"All patients requiring a plastic boot or foot plaster cast are assessed to determine their risk of contracting a DVT.”

Area coroner Ian Singleton recorded a narrative verdict which summarised Adam’s car accident, hospital treatment, final moments, and the pathologist’s findings.

He passed on his condolences to the family and will write to GWH to recommend that further changes are made to how they assess the risk of deep vein thrombosis on weight-bearing limbs.

Mr Singleton said: "It's impossible to say whether medication being given would have made a difference to the outcome."