Coroner Declares Woman’s Death Preventable After Hospital Helicopter Incident

A coroner concluded that the death of an 87-year-old woman “shouldn’t have happened” after she was “blown over” by a helicopter landing at a hospital. Jean Langan, a retired civil servant, had been present for an appointment at Derriford Hospital, in Devon, when she was impacted by “downwash” – a rapid change in air – from a coastguard helicopter, causing her to be knocked backwards. Ms Langan, a resident of Plymouth, succumbed to a head injury a few hours later. On Tuesday, the jury at the inquest, convened at Exeter County Hall, classified her death as an accident. In a statement following the inquest, her family expressed that she was “still very much loved and missed every day”. Ms Langan’s family stated: “Jean’s death was a devastating, tragic event which should never have happened. “Jean had every right to expect to be able to walk safely on a public footpath within the hospital grounds. “The loss and distress that the family suffers is immeasurable.” Coroner Ian Arrow announced his intention to draft a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Department For Transport, with the aim of establishing a national database for helipad operations. During the inquest, it was revealed that a Sikorsky helicopter, utilized for search and rescue, had landed on the hospital’s helipad in March 2022. Video evidence presented to the jury depicted Ms Langan being knocked over during the landing. Information presented to the court indicated that there are 200 hospital landing sites in the UK, with 44 currently approved for use by UK Search and Rescue helicopters. On Wednesday, Stuart Windsor, the future hospital director at Derriford Hospital, confirmed the permanent closure to the public of the car park where the incident occurred. He added that it now serves as an ambulance overflow area, and any staff members utilizing the car park receive instruction regarding “downwash” to ensure their own safety and that of patients. Existing safety measures include handrails, as well as a red flashing light and a warning alarm activated when smaller helicopters land. Furthermore, there have been additions of CCTV and staffing, he noted. It was also revealed in court that subsequent to the incident, helicopters exceeding five tonnes can no longer land at Derriford Hospital and must instead use Bickleigh barracks in Plymouth. Land ambulances are now responsible for collecting patients from Bickleigh barracks and transporting them to Derriford Hospital for treatment. Abigail Knill, from the South Western Ambulance Service Trust, stated that this transfer process can extend to almost an hour from patient collection to handover to hospital staff. In his concluding remarks, Mr Arrow addressed Ms Langan’s family, stating: “I do hope society improves.”It must have been a shocking day when you were just attending a hospital appointment.”It’s something that shouldn’t have happened”.