Claire Mozaffari (far right) who was left in a coma
after an ambulance blunder
A mum-of-two is fighting for life in a coma after
ambulance crews allegedly failed to take her to
hospital claiming she was drunk.
The desperate family of Claire Mozaffari is
demanding answers after the alleged blunder.
Claire, 33, was on a night out with pals in Newcastle
when she collapsed at her home in Deckham,
Gateshead.
Worried sister Lorna Bell, according to the
Newcastle Chronicle , rang an ambulance after she
struggled to bring Claire around, but paramedics
told the family she was drunk and advised them to
put her on the couch, the family claim.
It was only when her condition deteriorated nine-
and-a-half hours later that Lorna phoned the
ambulance service back and Claire was rushed to
the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Days later she fell into a coma and doctors have
warned she may not wake up.
Lorna said: "I was in the bathroom when I heard a
bang and Claire was knocked out on the floor. We
couldn't bring her around at first, she could not walk
and she was confused so we called an ambulance.
"Three paramedics came out really quickly. We told
them what had happened and the fact that Claire
had only had five pints. They picked her up, put her
on the sofa and said she was drunk. We trusted the
ambulance service. “But my mum called me the next morning to say
she had gotten worse so we phoned the ambulance
back and Claire was taken to hospital.”
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Claire’s condition improved and she was able to
drink from a straw.
But days later the family were told Claire had taken
a turn for the worse and she had to undergo
emergency surgery to remove part of her skull.
She has been in a coma since the operation.
Lorna said: “Doctors have told us it is unlikely Claire
will recover. Last week we were taken into a room
and asked if Claire would really like to be in a
vegetative state because that’s probably what she
is going to be like. No family should have to go
through that.
L-R Lorna and Carly Welch from Heworth, whose
sister Claire was left in a coma after an ambulance
blunder
“We want answers. Why did we have to wait nine-
and-a-half hours for Claire to be taken to hospital?”
Claire is still in a coma after the alleged incident,
which took place in the early hours of April 8.
Her shellshocked family now have to come to terms
with the fact they may never have the sister they
loved back.
Mum Caroline, 53, sisters Lorna, 25, Carly 21,
Emma, 30, Kayleigh 21 and brothers Ryan, 22 and
20-year-old Carlton have been keeping bedside
vigils, but doctors have warned any improvement
was likely to have happened in the weeks following
the incident.
Lorna is now caring for Claire’s 18-month-old
daughter Soheila while son Keiron, 13, is living with
his dad.
She said: “Keiron does not know the full extent of
the situation, just that his mum has been poorly.
Soheila is too young to know what’s happening, but
she will grow up never knowing what her mum was
like.
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“Why do bad things happen to good people? Claire is
one of the best. She was married and had two kids,
she had everything to live for.
“She is special. She is the oldest sister so she is
like a second mam to us all. These last few weeks
have just been an emotional rollercoaster, we have
been to hell and back.
“You lose hope, then you get it back up before it’s
dashed again. I just do not know what to think.”
The North East Ambulance Service has now
launched an investigation following the incident.
A spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear about
Claire’s condition. We have launched an
investigation into the circumstances surrounding
this incident and will ensure we keep Claire’s family
informed throughout the investigation process.”
