news

Linda Parker died 11 days after giving birth, from a condition that should've been detected.

After almost seven years Jamie Hare and his four daughters are still devastated by losing Linda Parker, a ‘friendly, no-fuss’ woman, partner and mother, who died due to unforeseen child birth complications.

It was a winter’s day in 2010 when the 39-year-old was admitted to the La Trobe Regional hospital to undergo her third cesarean.

A beautiful baby girl was born, but Linda never woke up after dramatically hemorrhaging on the operating table.

She died 11 days later in intensive care.

“It breaks my heart that my youngest daughter will never know her mother,” Jamie, her de facto partner of 24 years, told The Age.

“This should never have happened”.

Linda suffered from a potentially life-threatening condition known as placenta accreta, in which all or part of the placenta attaches abnormally to the uterus.

It is often linked to scars caused by previous cesareans.

Despite being otherwise healthy, given her history, Linda had a 40 per cent chance of the problem, but no medical professional even investigated the possibility, let alone warned her or her family.

Jamie was anxiously reading the newspaper in a waiting room of the hospital as he heard the “code blue” come across the speakers, according to The Age.

ADVERTISEMENT

It was the plasterer’s first indication that something had gone wrong.

In fact, Linda had bled so much during the surgery her heart had stopped beating twice.

That morning she was resuscitated by an anaesthetist with dozens of units of blood and an obstetrician tried, unsuccessfully, to stop the bleeding by removing her womb.

Still heavily hemorrhaging she was flown to the Monash Medial Centre for treatment, but was already almost unrecognisable on arrival.

Linda spent a week swollen and unconscious in intensive care as her older daughters, then aged 20, 16 and 13, began to care for their new sibling.

Linda Parker died 11 days after giving birth to her fourth daughter. Image via iStock.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eventually doctors determined she was too brain damaged to survive and her life support was switched off.

Last year, a coronial review found a paper-work mix up may have contributed to the slow detection of Linda's placenta accreta.

Had the mother-of-four been diagnosed earlier she would have received specialist treatment in Melbourne, the Coroners Court heard.

The court was also told that one of her obstetricians, Dr Andre Paul Hugo, also missed the "basic association" between her history and the potential threat.

It was later revealed the same doctor was found guilty of misconduct and fined heavily in 2015 for his involvement in the stillbirth of another baby, in the Rockingham Hospital, at 40 weeks.

Jamie and his daughters have since successfully sued Dr Hugo and the La Trobe Regional Hospital for negligence over Linda's death.

While they received an undisclosed settlement, it will not bring her back.