Regional Hospital Mullingar has apologised for what was described as a series of egregious errors in the care of a 25-year-old woman who died after she was crushed by a horse.
The High Court heard Bryonny Sainsbury and her family had "pleaded for help" over three days in hospital before she was transferred to a specialist hospital for a serious head injury.
Ms Sainsbury, from Briskil, Newtownforbes, died after being crushed by a horse while assisting with a veterinary procedure at a riding stable in Co Longford on 26 August 2021.
She was admitted to hospital in Mullingar where staff sought advice about her treatment from specialists at Beaumont Hospital.
However, an inquest in 2024 into her death heard some of the advice provided by staff at Beaumont was not followed and that she could have been saved if she had been transferred to Beaumont sooner.
Ms Sainsbury later died from her injuries at Beaumont Hospital on 31 August 2021.
The apology was made as the family settled a case against the hospital over the failures in care given.
Senior Counsel Richard Keane told the court it was the most distressing case relating to the tragic death of Ms Sainsbury who was "a successful, independent and stunning young woman who had an adoration of animals and had her own horse".
He said the horse had been spooked during veterinary treatment and through no one's fault Ms Sainsbury was crushed against a wall and suffered a fracture to her skull and a host of other injuries.
However, he said over a number of days while she was a patient in Mullingar there were "a series of egregious errors" during which she was "distressed, vomiting and pleading for help" along with her family.
In the apology read to the court, hospital management offered a "sincere and unreserved apology" for the failures in care provided to Ms Sainsbury.
It acknowledged the "deep grief and enduring impact" her passing had on her family who cherished her.
The statement added: "Please accept our heartfelt condolences on the passing of Bryonny. We are profoundly sorry for the distress and devastation you have experienced and we remain committed to ensuring that the lessons learned continue to inform and strengthen the care we provide."
Hospital management said it accepted in full the findings and recommendations outlined in the Systems Analysis Review and said a dedicated quality improvement team had now completed work to ensure the implementation of all recommendations made in the review.
'Catalogue of failures'
The 2024 inquest heard that a "catalogue of failures" at the Co Westmeath hospital combined to cause her death, including a failure to follow specialist advice provided by physicians at Beaumont Hospital.
The inquest returned a verdict of medical misadventure.
A subsequent independent review of her case found ten failures in her treatment at Mullingar and made 15 recommendations for future patient care.
According to the report, there were a number of missed opportunities for healthcare staff to escalate her care.
Bryonny's parents, Christopher and Alison, and her brothers, Gregory and Arron, settled their case for psychological injury arising from her death.
Afterwards, Alison Sainsbury said the legal processes had left them with the "unbearable knowledge that avoidable negligence directly contributed to the death of our beautiful daughter".
She said throughout her care the family had raised concerns but were ignored.
Alison Sainsbury said she firmly believed if they had been listened to and her daughter had been transferred appropriately, she would still be here today.
"No amount of compensation could every bring Bryonny back. What we have sought and continue to seek is acknowledgement, accountability and an apology along with a genuine acceptance of responsibility by the HSE," she said.
Alison Sainsbury added that they sincerely hoped the lessons said by the HSE to have been learned will finally translate into real change.
"Bryonny was and will always be deeply loved. Her legacy must be more than words it must be action."
The family's solicitor, Karen Clabby, said she wanted to highlight how "profoundly difficult and distressing" it had been for the family to fight for justice and accountability.
She said the family had spent over four years fighting the system in their daughter's memory, looking for accountability in the hope their campaign would prevent similar tragedies.
Ms Clabby said the findings of the Systems Analysis Review published in 2024 must be implemented in practice.
She said the Sainsburys would continue to campaign for personal accountability in the medical profession and for the lessons learned to bring about meaningful change.
