A coronial inquest has cleared paramedics of any wrongdoing over the death of a 23-year-old Ballarat woman who died hours after she was told she did not require hospital treatment.
Stacey Louise Yean became violently ill with stomach pains and began vomiting profusely at her home in central Victoria in January last year.
She was found dead in her bed the following morning, but the cause of her death remains a mystery despite an autopsy.
On the day Ms Yean fell ill, her family and friends made two triple-0 calls.
During the first call, Ms Yean’s mother, Adrienne Yean, spoke to a paramedic who said she did not need an ambulance, but suggested calling back if her daughter’s condition deteriorated.
An hour later, a family friend called back and reported that Ms Yean’s breathing was abnormal, prompting an ambulance to be dispatched.
Paramedics checked Ms Yean’s vital signs twice and, finding they were within normal range, advised she likely had a “gastric bug” and would not need to be taken to hospital.
At the inquest, paramedic Jessica Handley testified she then told Ms Yean she would probably be more comfortable at home than in a hospital waiting room.
“Stacey chose to not go to hospital. I didn’t see the need to make her go,” she said.