The family are demanding answers from hospital bossesLorna Loxton, a mum-of-two from Wells, who died following a fall outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary in January 2025Lorna Loxton, a mum-of-two from Wells, who died following a fall outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary in January 2025(Image: The Loxton family)

The family of a woman who died after hitting her head in a fall over a ‘trip hazard’ as she walked out of the Bristol Royal Infirmary is preparing to take legal action against hospital chiefs, as a coroner investigates her death. An incident investigation report found mum-of-two Lorna Loxton fell on the way out of the BRI when her three-wheeled walking frame became lodged in a protruding metal flap.

The 55-year-old had gone to the BRI from her home in Wells, Somerset, to attend a cardiology appointment, but tripped and fell on the way out, broke her hip and hit her head on the floor. She was rushed back in, underwent surgery on her hip, but her health deteriorated and she never left the hospital again.

Her family said they are ‘devastated’ over her death, which happened at the end of January this year, and are now being supported by a law firm, as the inquest into her death approaches. Lorna spent much of her life in Bristol, and more recently lived in Wells, Somerset. She had suffered genetic disorder in her later life, called myotonic dystrophy, a debilitating illness that causes muscle wastage and weakness.

Her son Mark, 35, also lives with the condition, and both he and Lorna’s daughter Danni, 30, spoke of their pride in their mother living her life with the condition. She had previously loved riding and caring for horses, and had three dogs – Jodie, Ria, and Mia.

“Mum was such a lovely person, she loved animals so much,” said Danni, an entertainment manager who lives near Bournemouth. “She would donate to animal charities regularly, and the money collected at her funeral went to the WWF, she would have loved that.

“She couldn’t work for a lot of years because of her illness, some days she couldn’t even get out of bed, but she did the very best she could. When she would come and see my shows, she was so proud of me. I will always remember how much she loved me and Mark, and how proud she was of him too for being so independent even though he has the same condition she did,” she added.

“Mum loved her music – JLS, for some reason, and 80s music – and she watched all the soaps, particularly the Australian ones, and Western films. I would speak to her all the time and she lived her life as best she could. The way we lost her has been absolutely traumatic,” she added.

Lorna was walking out of the BRI’s Level 5 entrance to wait for her taxi, but her walker got stuck on a metal flap which covered a bollard. The family say the UHBW Trust, which runs the Bristol Royal Infirmary, commissioned a Health and Safety Incident Investigation Report into what happened, and it found that bollard posts were ‘not being monitored by the estates and facilities team at the time, and no health and safety risk assessment had been carried out. “The report also conceded the angle of the protruding metal presented a ‘trip hazard’,” a spokesperson for law firm Slater and Gordon, which is representing the family, said.

Bristol Royal InfirmaryBristol Royal Infirmary

The family also have concerns over what happened between the fall – which happened on January 7 – and Lorna’s death on January 28 this year. “After Lorna’s fall on January 7, she was able to call Danni herself and tell her what had happened,” said a spokesperson for Slater and Gordon.

“Her daughter drove the near five-hour round trip regularly over the days ahead, returning in between for work, but said she didn’t feel she was updated properly by medics at Bristol Royal Infirmary,” she added.

Danni said her deterioration was unexpected. “As I was so far away, I really relied on the doctors and nurses for updates, but when I would get to the hospital, she was always much worse than I expected,” she said.

“I was told on the phone she was ‘fine’, but I arrived after my initial visit to see her with tubes and attached to machines. During one visit, they referred to her being on life support, but I had no idea things had become so bad,” Danni added.

“When the end came, I was told I could say goodbye – but then I was told they hadn’t checked her medical notes to see she was an organ donor, so they wouldn’t be switching her life support off yet. That was devastating, to add to the fact I already had to come to terms with losing my mum.

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“I would have loved to be better supported during this period. It was such a shock to learn what had happened, and then to find she was deteriorating so quickly was just horrendous. I was so far away, I wish so much I could have been closer,” she said.

An inquest will be held into Lorna’s death, and the family has turned to Slater and Gordon for supporting in getting answers from UHBW NHS Trust.

“This was an absolutely tragic incident and has left Danni and Mark absolutely devastated – not just with the loss of their beloved mother, but particularly the manner in which it happened,” said Samantha Griffiths, a senior associate at Slater and Gordon.

“Hospitals should be one of the safest possible environments for people with mobility problems who use mobility aids, but this has been far from the case in Lorna’s situation. We will support Lorna’s family in every way possible to get the answers they need and deserve around her death,” she added.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Lorna’s family. We are committed to working with the coroner and are unable to comment further while the inquest process is underway.”