Scots dad who called 999 during cardiac arrest lay undiscovered after ambulance staff didn’t search for him

David McClenaghan, 57, dialled 999 after falling ill at Park’s showroom in Coatbridge, where he worked.

David McClenaghan(Image: David Meikle / Pressteam)

A car sales manager who dialled 999 lay undiscovered and died of a cardiac arrest after an ambulance crew failed to get out of their cab to look for him, an inquiry found.

David McClenaghan, 57, fell ill at Park’s showroom in Coatbridge, where he worked, on August 26 2018. He dialled 999 for help as he collapsed in his office. When medics arrived, however, they saw no sign of him from their emergency vehicle and left soon afterwards.

An hour later a security guard found David lying behind his office door. He was unable to resuscitate the tragic dad of two, despite frantic efforts.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry at Airdrie Sheriff Court heard an ambulance had been called at 5.45pm on the day he died before a second call was made more than an hour later.

Sheriff Paul Haran has ruled there were no precautions which could have been taken to avoid the death and found no defects in any system of work that contributed to the death.

But he said the first ambulance crew not leaving their vehicle was ‘a fact relevant’ in the circumstances of Mr McClenaghan’s death.

The call from Mr McClenaghan was recorded as an unconfirmed location and the inquiry found that there was a lack of clear policy or guidance in place detailing how dispatch staff should respond when a patient cannot be located by ambulance crews.

As a result, the first ambulance crew elected not to exit their vehicle when they attended at the Kia garage.

He recommended the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) explore telephony technology that can assist call handlers recognise silent calls from disconnected ones, and implement any suitable solution as soon as possible.

The probe heard there had been ‘significant change and improvement’ to procedures in the aftermath of the death.

Mr McClenaghan’s wife Georgina, 63, told the inquiry that she only discovered an ambulance had attended when his phone was checked a week after his death.

She said she had given the mobile to her son Josh when they discovered photos of cars taken at 5.25pm and then proof he had dialled 999 at 5.45pm on August 26.

She told the inquiry: “A week later I had given Josh his mobile phone and said he could make use of it and he opened it up and said dad was still alive at 5.25 because he had taken pictures of cars in the showground.

“I took the phone and discovered there was a 999 call made at 5.45 and I was absolutely sick because at no time had I been told that an ambulance had attended David.

“Had I not discovered that I don’t think I would ever have been told.”

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Following the publication of the determination, Andy Shanks of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland’s death investigation authority, said: “We note the Sheriff’s Determination and the recommendation made for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“The Procurator Fiscal ensured that the full facts and circumstances of David McClenaghan ‘s death were provided at the discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry. The Determination has been provided to the representative of Mr McClenaghan’s family. Our thoughts are with them at this time.”

It’s believed David was working late in his office at around 5pm after his colleagues had left. The first ambulance was called at 5.45pm and took just seven minutes to arrive at the showroom but left without locating the married executive, from Bannockburn in Stirlingshire.

David was only discovered when a security guard went to check why the burglar alarm had not been set at the building. The guard called for a second ambulance – but David passed away before it arrived.

Later it was revealed he had suffered a pulmonary embolism, which led to a cardiac arrest. Originally from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, David had been in the car sales trade for 20 years and was a general manager with Park’s for 19 months.

Mrs McClenaghan described her husband as a man who was ‘dedicated’ to his job and a ‘great family person’ who ‘loved’ seeing his two children grow up.

Unlike a criminal trial, an FAI seeks to establish the facts surrounding the death and is not a hearing which apportions blame.

The purpose of an inquiry is to establish the circumstances of the death and to consider what steps, if any, may be taken to prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We’d once again like to send our sincere condolences to Mr McClenaghan’s family for their loss. We know how difficult this FAI must have been and our thoughts continue to be with them.

“Whilst the inquiry found that nothing could have prevented the tragic death of Mr McClenaghan, there were lessons to be learned from it and since 2019, we’ve made significant improvements to our systems and procedures to enhance our response to 999 calls.

“We hope the forensic analysis of this case through the FAI will serve in providing answers and some comfort to all those involved in it. We welcome in particular the Sheriff’s judgement that our staff acted at all times appropriately and reasonably given the information available to them at the time, following all procedure and protocols in place in 2018.

“We will work with BT and other partners in the coming weeks to explore the one single recommendation made by the Inquiry relating to assessing whether further improvements can be made to the management of silent and disconnected calls and will report our findings back to the Procurator Fiscal at the earliest opportunity.”