Doctors defend care of woman, 74, who died after being hit by car

TWO consultants have defended the care of an elderly woman who survived after being knocked down by a car only to die in hospital from complications several weeks later.

Kerry General Hospital (KGH) consultant surgeon Mr Kevin Murray and consultant anaesthetist Dr Sean Gibbons told an inquest yesterday that Anne Hartnett, 74, from 113 St Brendan’s Park, Tralee in Co Kerry, who died last year, had access to senior hospital experts and an intensive care bed from the moment she was admitted.

Dr Gibbons said it was unlikely, given her age, that she would recover from a condition called adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), associated with her rib injuries.