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Ambulance Service Apologizes After Coroner Finds Death Preventable

By Drooid · Sep 23, 2026, 11:18 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Coroner Maria Dougan ruled Lee Gannon’s death preventable after ambulance calls were mis-triaged.
The family’s 999 call after midnight on 15 February 2022 was not marked Category 1.
Three further calls reporting worsening breathing were missed before the case was upgraded at 3:38 am.
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service accepted fault, apologized and will implement the coroner’s recommendations.

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Story summary

Coroner Maria Dougan ruled Lee Gannon’s death preventable after ambulance calls were mis-triaged.
The family’s 999 call after midnight on 15 February 2022 was not marked Category 1.
Three further calls reporting worsening breathing were missed before the case was upgraded at 3:38 am.
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service accepted fault, apologized and will implement the coroner’s recommendations.