Coroner Sounds Alarm Over Blood Thinner Dangers After Tragic Death
A coroner has issued an urgent warning about blood thinners following the sudden death of a fit and healthy finance executive, with his grieving widow insisting he "could have been saved" with proper information.
Active Man's Minor Fall Leads to Fatal Brain Haemorrhage
Clive Hyman, 64, had been relatively fit and healthy, regularly attending the gym and playing cricket, when he tragically passed away last year. The accomplished corporate finance specialist, who made history as the youngest ever partner at KPMG, experienced what seemed like a "minor" tumble on marble steps in Bucharest, Romania, and reportedly felt "fine" immediately afterward.
However, nine days after the fall, London-based Clive died in hospital from a brain haemorrhage. He had been prescribed the blood thinner apixaban after experiencing heart issues, a medication known to potentially cause brain bleeding following head injuries.
Critical Information Gap in Medication Leaflets
During an inquest at Poplar Coroner's Court last month, Assistant Coroner Sarah Bourke discovered a dangerous gap in patient information. The drug's leaflets offered no guidance on actions to take following a head injury for patients taking apixaban.
The report on preventing future deaths stated clearly: "None of the patient information leaflets that I reviewed expressly addressed the steps to be taken by a patient if they sustain trauma to the head. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken."
Timeline of a Preventable Tragedy
Clive took his fall on August 1, 2025, while on a phone call, but assured his work colleague that he felt "fine." His widow, Rachel Hyman, revealed the concerning progression:
- Five days after the fall, Clive developed a severe headache
- Rachel called for an ambulance but was informed it was a non-emergency situation
- He took paracetamol and went to bed
- Later that day, Clive began vomiting, his blood pressure skyrocketed, and he became unresponsive
- An ambulance was called and discovered he had suffered a left-sided subdural haemorrhage
Tragically, he passed away on August 10, 2025, leaving Rachel heartbroken after just four years of marriage.
Widow's Anguish and Campaign for Change
The 52-year-old widow voiced her fury following the inquest, convinced that had Clive been aware of the risks, he would have sought immediate medical attention and his life could have been spared. She shared that her husband was meticulous about his health, even marking a circle around the bruise on his leg to monitor if it was expanding.
"It just doesn't make any sense to me," Rachel expressed. "All the surgeons knew about the risk, but the cardiac people didn't make us aware. Nobody told us. Clive should and could have been saved. I have the extra trauma and burden that he should be alive. That is very hard to deal with. It should not have happened."
She emphasized her husband's health consciousness: "He had taken his health really seriously. He went to the gym five times a week and ate a very healthy diet. I can say with 100 per cent certainty that had we known a fall to the head could cause this, we would have gone to the hospital."
Broader Pattern of Similar Incidents
Rachel revealed that the coroner indicated this was not an isolated case. "Clive was not the only person to have died from it. The coroner said she has seen this problem in her court before. It is probably happening to people right now who were not made aware of this."
Cambridge-educated Clive and Rachel first crossed paths in 2016 during a job interview before tying the knot in an intimate ceremony amidst the pandemic in 2021. Rachel described her husband, who spent two decades at 'Big 4' accountancy firm KPMG, as exceptionally intelligent, and she'd envisaged spending her remaining years by his side.
Campaign for Greater Awareness and Safety
Rachel is now campaigning for greater awareness surrounding the dangers of apixaban, determined that others should be spared her anguish. She continued: "Clive was really wonderful. He was very bright. He was a really kind and lovely person. He treated everybody the same and did things because he cared for people."
"He wanted to live, he was finally happy in his life. We were really happy together and it is a real tragedy that he is not here. He was the love of my life. It is absolutely horrendous. There are no good days. My life stopped. My plans all changed. I thought we would get a good 20 years together."
Her urgent message to others: "I want to make people aware so that it won't happen to other people. If you have a fall on blood thinners, even if you feel fine, just go to the hospital. They should be changing the advice."
