A woman died after a tiny insect bite on her leg developed into severe weeping wounds. Mandy Weaver, 48, passed away in October 2018 after months of deteriorating health. A coroner later determined the cause of death was a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which caused a pulmonary embolism.
Condition worsened despite repeated GP visits
Mandy's husband Mark, 54, said she repeatedly attended her local GP surgery as her condition deteriorated, but the underlying cause of her worsening symptoms was not properly investigated. The condition became so bad that the couple had to put puppy pads under her legs to catch leaking fluid, and maggots had to be removed from her wounds. It is not known what insect bit her.
Mark, from Winnersh, Berkshire, said: “There’s no reason she shouldn’t be here today. After spending every day with her for over 30 years, I just never expected to be without her.”
From garden bite to immobility
In summer 2017, Mandy noticed what appeared to be a small insect bite on her leg while she and Mark were tidying their garden. Within weeks, it had begun leaking and oozing. She attended Westfield Road Surgery in Winnersh, where Mark says a nurse diagnosed an infection, dressed her leg and prescribed antibiotics. Her condition improved slightly and she returned to work, but within months the problems had returned and were now affecting both legs.
Mark says she returned to the surgery and was again told it was an infection, with dust from her work as a supermarket cleaner suggested as a possible cause. He said: “I felt they were blaming anything without looking into what was actually wrong.”
By January 2018, Mandy's legs had begun to darken and were leaking so heavily that fluid would pool on the floor when she stood. She became immobile and heavily reliant on her family for help and support. The condition affected Mandy's dignity and confidence, leaving her embarrassed and increasingly unlike herself, Mark said.
Final months and legal claim
By July, the pain was so severe that Mark said Mandy would cry out constantly and shift between each leg to try to relieve it. He said: “I hated seeing her like this. I said to her, ‘Shall we go to A&E? Shall we change doctor and find someone else?’. But she didn’t want anyone to worry and kept saying it would get better.”
In September 2018, Mandy's medical records recorded that maggots had developed in one of her wounds and had to be removed. She was finally referred to a tissue viability nurse and was given an appointment for October 15. Only days before this appointment, on October 12, Mandy's brother Brian, along with Mark, came home and found her lying face down on the upstairs landing.
Mark said she had been “the head of our family” and that losing her had “torn the entire family apart.” Mark and Mandy had been together since 1990 and married in 2010. She loved music and had a vinyl collection of more than 500 records, which are all housed in a commemorative space at her sister's house.
Mark subsequently brought a clinical negligence claim against some of the clinicians at Westfield Road Surgery, alleging that Mandy's deteriorating condition was not appropriately investigated or escalated despite repeated attendances, and that opportunities to identify and treat the underlying problem were missed. Liability was denied throughout, and the case later settled with no admission of liability.
Mark said: “The entire family just wanted justice for Mandy. We wanted the surgery to admit they made mistakes. I’m disappointed we never got that.”
Sue Prior, partner at Fletchers Solicitors, who supported Mark through the investigation, added: “Throughout this case, it was clear how deeply Mark loved Mandy and how determined he was to pursue justice for her. Our investigations concluded that she had likely developed DVT because of the chronic infection and immobility. The case has now settled, but Mark has never lost sight of what happened.”
