A 13-year-old girl died after a series of catastrophic mistakes at a leading UK hospital, her parents have revealed. Martha, an active teenager with dreams of becoming an author or engineer, suffered a fatal injury while on a family cycling holiday in Snowdonia last summer.
After falling from her bike onto her handlebars, she was initially dismissed by a doctor who prescribed paracetamol without examining her. Later, in severe pain, she was taken to Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth, where she spent her final days on hospital trolleys, her parents said.
The hospital has admitted a breach of duty of care and described the incident as a 'catastrophic error'. Her father said: 'We had such trust, we feel such fools.' The family stressed that the tragedy was not due to NHS funding cuts or staff shortages, but to medical mistakes.
Martha's mother now urges parents to be more questioning of medical professionals. 'Had I acted differently, she'd still be living,' she said. 'I want everyone to know what I learned too late.'
