Finding into death of Frank Day

60y · Male·Pulmonary thromboembolism in a man with deep vein thrombosis following a fractured ankle sustained in a motorcycle incident

A 60-year-old man with obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia sustained a fractured right ankle in a motorcycle collision. He presented to ED with chest pain on 3 November but was diagnosed with musculoskeletal pain; ECG and troponin were normal. He attended orthopaedic follow-up on 6 and 13 November where healing was noted. The patient and his partner reported a cold foot after discharge and calf pain post-fracture but did not seek medical advice, believing these were normal. He died on 16 November from pulmonary embolism secondary to DVT. The coroner found medical care reasonable but noted that patients with lower limb fractures requiring immobilisation were not provided written information about DVT/PE signs and symptoms. This represents a gap in patient education rather than clinical mismanagement.