A TEENAGE athlete, who died during a cross country race at Trent Park, could have been saved if there had not been a delay in getting her to hospital, a coroner said today.

Shannon Powell, 14, from Northwood, died on January 8 from an undiagnosed heart disorder, after collapsing and suffering a seizure while taking part in the Middlesex Cross Country Championships.

Paramedics took more than an hour to get to Shannon – who suffered from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy – because there was confusion as to where she had collapsed and the gate and a barrier into the park was locked, preventing the ambulance getting access to Trent Park. The race organisers had also not come up with a clear plan as to how an ambulance would get inside the park, should there be casualties at the athletics event.

Coroner Andrew Walker at the inquest into her death at North London Coroner’s Court, told the court: “Although the provision of first aid for the event had been considered and a team of first-aiders had been employed, little or no thought had been given to what should happen if an ambulance needed to attend a person at the event.

“All but one of the gates to the park were locked and there was a mistaken belief that all London Ambulance Service vehicles had keys they could use to unlock the gates.

“There were no clear details available to guide an ambulance to the correct gate. The instructions given to the marshals concerning what to do should a person need an ambulance were inadequate.”

Mr Walker recorded a narrative verdict and said neglect had contributed to Shannon’s death.

Speaking after the hearing Shannon’s father Wayne Powell said: “It feels like a very long time since Shannon died. It has been a very difficult year and we are grateful we have finally got some answers. Unfortunately, if the event had been properly organised, Shannon would still be alive today. As her parents, that is very hard to bear.

“We hope the recommendations will be implemented so children will be safer and other parents won’t have to go through what we have been through.”

Earlier the court also heard evidence by consultant cardiologist Dr Pier Lambiase, who said that there had been a failure to provide adequate medical care to Shannon on two counts. “The delay in getting her to hospital was extremely important,” he told the court. “If she had been taken straight away she would have been in hospital by the time she had a second seizure and she would have had all the experts and the facilities there.” He also went on criticise the fact that the paramedics failed to use the right equipment to monitor Shannon’s heart, which would have told them how serious her condition was.

However, an independent expert paramedic said that the paramedic crew, who had to walk through rough terrain to get to Shannon, could not bring every single piece of equipment with them and had to prioritise. Andrew Swinburn told the court: “Given the information they had at the time, I would have taken the same equipment that they had done.”

Mr Powell told the court that his daughter’s death had devastated the family. “Our precious Shannon was always a special child. She was a happy, fun-loving child who brought much laughter into the home. She loved family life,” he added.
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