Mother-of-two died after tripping and falling outside hospital entrance

A mother-of-two died three weeks after tripping on a metal flap outside a hospital, her family has said.

Lorna Loxton, a former auxiliary nurse, had been attending Bristol Royal Infirmary for a cardiology appointment on January 7.

She began walking to her taxi outside when her three-wheeled walking frame is believed to have became lodged in a metal flap which covered a bollard.

The 55-year-old tripped as a result, breaking her hip and hitting her head on the ground. She underwent surgery on her hip but her condition deteriorated and she died in hospital on January 28.

Her cause of death has yet to be formally established and an inquest will take place on a date to be fixed.

Ms Loxton’s daughter Danni, 30, and son Mark, 35, have paid tribute to their mother who lived with myotonic dystrophy, which causes muscle weakness.

She was described as an animal lover, who enjoyed riding and caring for horses, as well as looking after her three dogs.

Daughter Danni, an entertainment manager, said: “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.

“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.”

Ms Loxton’s family are being supported by law firm Slater and Gordon in their search for answers about what happened.

Samantha Griffiths, senior associate at Slater and Gordon, said: “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.

“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.”

The law firm said a report from University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust found the bollard posts were not being monitored by the estates and facilities team when Ms Loxton died.

It described the angle of the metal flat as a “trip hazard”, Slater and Gordon said.

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 under way.”