Pregnant Sierra Leonean woman dies unnecessarily in busy London traffic

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 4 July 2015

london ambulnace

A pregnant woman and her baby died after paramedics took her to a hospital 10 miles away rather than the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E).

Estherline Caulker, 39, was stuck in rush-hour traffic for 84 minutes after the London Ambulance crew failed to realise she was bleeding internally after being taken ill at a train station.

She went into cardiac arrest and died in hospital from a haemorrhage early the following morning. Her premature daughter was delivered by emergency cesarean but died two months later.

Ms Caulker’s death was the fifth maternal death in 18 months involving the Homerton hospital. It has led to whole-scale changes in procedure at the hospital, in Hackney, and across the London Ambulance Service.

Esterline Caulker

Coroner Mary Hassell hit out at communication failures “at every stage” of Ms Caulker’s care and said she “would probably have survived” had she been taken on sirens and blue lights to a closer emergency unit.

Her father, Starlingford Caulker, 66, told the Standard: “She always wanted to have a child. That was her greatest dream. And she would have made the best mother in the world.

“We are all absolutely devastated. She was a wonderful daughter. I can’t even bear to look at pictures of her.

“We will have a meeting as a family and consider taking legal action. But justice can never be done because nothing can bring her back.”

Culled from London Evening Standard – 22 June 2015

1 Comment

  1. This is such a sad tragedy for the family, and I hope the family will take legal action for negligence.

    But I ask this question: Had she been white, would she have received better care from the paramedics?

    Far too often, we hear stories like this involving black people. No doubt the paramedics will get away with this one too.

    How sad. My condolence to the bereaved family.

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