An aspiring lawyer who suffered a cardiac arrest while driving home at the age of 24 has died seven years later, an inquest has heard. Amber Fountain was 31 when she died in November 2025.
Ms Fountain was returning from a Bear Grylls adventure experience in Birmingham with a friend on February 16, 2019, when her heart stopped on the M27. The unexplained cardiac arrest led to brain damage, and she spent time in hospital and a care home before being transferred to Holy Cross in Haslemere, Surrey, in June 2020.
Family's decision to stop treatment
After five years of "excellent care", her family made the decision to stop treatment, and Ms Fountain died in The Rowans Hospice in November 2025. The inquest heard that her partner of more than a decade, Daryl Thompson, loved her "so much" and recalled her "infectious" laugh and wonderful smile.
She was "full of life and excitement" about planning their life together, with her parents calling her a "vibrant and strong daughter." Christopher Wilkinson, senior coroner for Hampshire, told the family the decision to end her care at Holy Cross "was ultimately the right one."
Verdict of death by natural causes
While the cause of the cardiac arrest was never fully established, a prolonged QT period – an abnormal delay in the heart's electrical recharge – may have played a part. Mr Wilkinson recorded a verdict of death by natural causes before highlighting the "tenacity, love and kindness" shown by Ms Fountain's loved ones.
He said: "I can only begin to imagine how difficult it was – I would like to express my sincerest condolences to you all."
