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Hillsborough inquests hear medical evidence on deaths of four fans Hillsborough inquests hear medical evidence on deaths of four fans
(35 minutes later)
A delay in providing oxygen to a teenager critically injured at Hillsborough in 1989 may have damaged his chances of surviving the crush, the new inquests into the disaster have heard.A delay in providing oxygen to a teenager critically injured at Hillsborough in 1989 may have damaged his chances of surviving the crush, the new inquests into the disaster have heard.
Philip Hammond, 14 at the time, was one of the 96 people supporting Liverpool at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest who died after the lethal crush in the central “pens” of Hillsborough’s Leppings Lane terrace. Philip Hammond, 14 at the time, was one of the 96 people supporting Liverpool at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest who died after the lethal crush in the central pens of Hillsborough’s Leppings Lane terrace.
The inquests, sitting in Warrington, heard that Philip’s friend, Mark Preston, took hold of his hand during the first severe surge in the crowd, but lost his grip around 3:02pm. That, according to medical experts to the inquests, is the last time Philip is certainly known to have been alive. Fifteen minutes later, a South Yorkshire police constable, Stephen Taylor, who has previously given evidence, found the teenager lying on his back, unconscious, in the tunnel at the rear of the terrace. There remains no evidence about how Philip came to be in the tunnel.The inquests, sitting in Warrington, heard that Philip’s friend, Mark Preston, took hold of his hand during the first severe surge in the crowd, but lost his grip around 3:02pm. That, according to medical experts to the inquests, is the last time Philip is certainly known to have been alive. Fifteen minutes later, a South Yorkshire police constable, Stephen Taylor, who has previously given evidence, found the teenager lying on his back, unconscious, in the tunnel at the rear of the terrace. There remains no evidence about how Philip came to be in the tunnel.
Jane Moffatt, an ambulance officer who worked with Taylor to try and revive the boy, asked another police constable, Andrew Sheil, to get some oxygen, and there was a delay before it was brought to the ambulance by a fire officer, Simon Woodhouse, who then asked everybody to leave before setting up the equipment and clearing Philip’s airway. Jane Moffatt, an ambulance officer who worked with Taylor to try and revive the boy, asked another constable, Andrew Sheil, to get some oxygen, and there was a delay before it was brought to the ambulance by a fire officer, Simon Woodhouse, who then asked everybody to leave before setting up the equipment and clearing Philip’s airway.
Brenda Campbell, representing boy’s father, Philip Hammond Sr, a former chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, his mother Hilda, and brother Graeme, asked Dr Jerry Nolan, an expert medical witness to the inquests: “The delay, such as it was, in obtaining the oxygen, might have influenced the outcome for Philip – and I would add, negatively influenced?” Brenda Campbell, representing the boy’s father, Philip Hammond Sr, a former chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, his mother Hilda, and brother Graeme, asked Dr Jerry Nolan, an expert medical witness to the inquests: “The delay, such as it was, in obtaining the oxygen, might have influenced the outcome for Philip – and I would add, negatively influenced?”
“That is correct,” Nolan replied, “and that is what I put in [the medical report into the boy’s death]. It might have, yes.”“That is correct,” Nolan replied, “and that is what I put in [the medical report into the boy’s death]. It might have, yes.”
The teenager, who was pronounced dead in Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, suffered a broken rib which had lacerated the tissue in his lung, the court heard. Nolan and Dr Peter Cooper, an expert pathology witness, both agreed that this injury was likely to have been sustained from severe force to Philip’s right hand side during the crush. The teenager, who was pronounced dead in Sheffield’s Northern General hospital, suffered a broken rib, which had lacerated the tissue in his lung, the court heard. Nolan and Dr Peter Cooper, an expert pathology witness, both agreed that this injury was likely to have been sustained from severe force to Philip’s right hand side during the crush.
Lee Nicol, also 14 when he went to the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989, was kept for two days on a life support machine at the same hospital before doctors concluded he had sustained irreversible brain damage and certified he had died at 6:50pm on 17 April. Dr Jasmeet Soar, giving expert evidence about Lee’s condition, said he believed it likely that the boy was in cardiac arrest by the time he was put in an ambulance at the football ground at 3:21pm, and his prospect of being revived by the intensive care he received at the hospital was “vanishingly small”.Lee Nicol, also 14 when he went to the FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989, was kept for two days on a life support machine at the same hospital before doctors concluded he had sustained irreversible brain damage and certified he had died at 6:50pm on 17 April. Dr Jasmeet Soar, giving expert evidence about Lee’s condition, said he believed it likely that the boy was in cardiac arrest by the time he was put in an ambulance at the football ground at 3:21pm, and his prospect of being revived by the intensive care he received at the hospital was “vanishingly small”.
After he was confirmed to have died in the hospital, several of Lee’s organs were donated, the inquests heard: his heart, both of his kidneys, his right lung, liver and adrenal glands.After he was confirmed to have died in the hospital, several of Lee’s organs were donated, the inquests heard: his heart, both of his kidneys, his right lung, liver and adrenal glands.
Philip Steele, 15 at the time, a church altar boy and member of the Scouts, went to the match with his parents, Les and Dolores, and stood with his brother Brian in “pen” three of the Leppings Lane terrace until the brothers were separated by a crowd surge at 2:55pm. A nurse, John Boyle, who was at the match as a Liverpool fan, worked to give him CPR on the pitch with a St John Ambulance volunteer. Boyle said he believed was not giving strong enough chest compressions at first, adding in his evidence that when he left Philip, he did not think he was dead and that he showed more signs of life than others on the pitch.Philip Steele, 15 at the time, a church altar boy and member of the Scouts, went to the match with his parents, Les and Dolores, and stood with his brother Brian in “pen” three of the Leppings Lane terrace until the brothers were separated by a crowd surge at 2:55pm. A nurse, John Boyle, who was at the match as a Liverpool fan, worked to give him CPR on the pitch with a St John Ambulance volunteer. Boyle said he believed was not giving strong enough chest compressions at first, adding in his evidence that when he left Philip, he did not think he was dead and that he showed more signs of life than others on the pitch.
Philip was also taken to Northern General where the documented evidence of his treatment is “patchy”, said Christina Lambert QC, for the coroner, Sir John Goldring. A Dr Calder at the hospital has stated that he was treating the teenager, by starting to put a canula for a drip into his hand, when a Dr Duncan, more senior than him, told him to stop because Philip had died.Philip was also taken to Northern General where the documented evidence of his treatment is “patchy”, said Christina Lambert QC, for the coroner, Sir John Goldring. A Dr Calder at the hospital has stated that he was treating the teenager, by starting to put a canula for a drip into his hand, when a Dr Duncan, more senior than him, told him to stop because Philip had died.
Soar said he believed the decision that Philip was dead would most likely have been taken by Duncan after consultation with a team of doctors, who were attending to the boy.Soar said he believed the decision that Philip was dead would most likely have been taken by Duncan after consultation with a team of doctors, who were attending to the boy.
The fourth of the 96 victims whose deaths were considered during a day of evidence at the inquests, Peter McDonnell, was 21 when he died. Lambert said there was “very little evidence” about how he came to die, after last being seen by his friend, Albert Atkin, going up the stairs towards the West Stand seats above the Leppings Lane terrace. BBC footage of the scenes following the crush showed McDonnell on the pitch, on his back, with his torso bare. There is no evidence, the court heard, that he was properly checked for signs of life before he was placed by police officers on an advertising hoarding being used as a makeshift stretcher, and carried up the pitch to the gymnasium being used to house the dead. The fourth of the 96 victims whose deaths were considered during a day of evidence at the inquests, Peter McDonnell, was 21 when he died. Lambert said there was very little evidence about how he came to die, after last being seen by his friend, Albert Atkin, going up the stairs towards the West Stand seats above the Leppings Lane terrace. BBC footage of the scenes following the crush showed McDonnell on the pitch, on his back, with his torso bare. There is no evidence, the court heard, that he was properly checked for signs of life before he was placed by police officers on an advertising hoarding being used as a makeshift stretcher, and carried up the pitch to the gymnasium being used to house the dead.
The autopsy on McDonnell revealed an unusual injury to his heart, a laceration of the right ventricle which, the expert doctors said, would rapidly have killed him if it happened before he died. Responding to questions from Jenni Richards QC, representing the South Yorkshire metropolitan ambulance service, Drs Philip Lumb and Cooper agreed that McDonnell was most likely to have sustained that injury in the crush. They agreed that this meant he was one of the few victims whose injuries gave a “strong pathological steer” about the time and speed with which he died.The autopsy on McDonnell revealed an unusual injury to his heart, a laceration of the right ventricle which, the expert doctors said, would rapidly have killed him if it happened before he died. Responding to questions from Jenni Richards QC, representing the South Yorkshire metropolitan ambulance service, Drs Philip Lumb and Cooper agreed that McDonnell was most likely to have sustained that injury in the crush. They agreed that this meant he was one of the few victims whose injuries gave a “strong pathological steer” about the time and speed with which he died.
Questioned by Judy Khan QC, representing McDonnell’s family, the doctors agreed it was possible, although unlikely, that the injury was not caused by the crush but by chest compressions during CPR or by the autopsy itself. Dr David Slater, who performed the autopsy, was an experienced histopathologist at the time, not a forensic pathologist, Cooper agreed, although he said Slater had performed many postmortems and would have realised if he had caused the laceration himself. Cooper accepted that some of Slater’s conclusions about the effects on the victims’ brains have been disputed by the medical experts at these inquests, but said that Slater clearly believed McDonnell’s heart laceration was “a real injury”, not caused by the autopsy. Questioned by Judy Khan QC, representing McDonnell’s family, the doctors agreed it was possible, although unlikely, that the injury was not caused by the crush but by chest compressions during CPR or by the autopsy itself. Dr David Slater, who performed the autopsy, was an experienced histopathologist at the time, not a forensic pathologist, Cooper agreed, although he said Slater had performed many postmortems and would have realised if he had caused the laceration himself.
Cooper accepted that some of Slater’s conclusions about the effects on the victims’ brains have been disputed by the medical experts at these inquests, but said that Slater clearly believed McDonnell’s heart laceration was “a real injury”, not caused by the autopsy.
The inquests continue, with more medical evidence about how the 96 people died.The inquests continue, with more medical evidence about how the 96 people died.