Teenage student’s ecstasy death could have been avoided if she had been given different hospital treatment
It is still unclear how the drug got into Jane Khalaf's system
THE family of a teenager who died while studying in Germany after ingesting ecstasy must live with the tragedy of knowing she might have been saved if she had been given different hospital treatment.
Jane Khalaf, from Huddersfield, died in November 2014 while living in Cologne and her family say they still have unanswered questions.
The Huddersfield Examiner reported that during the inquest into her death, it still remains unclear how the drug got into her system.
She was taken to the St Marien Hospital in Cologne in the early hours of November 12, the inquest at Bradford Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
The 19-year-old was given an examination but no blood was taken for testing and four hours later Jane collapsed and fell into a coma.
The Northumbria University student was put on life support after being transferred to the Merheim hospital.
She remained on life support for eight days until she died on November 20.
Coroner Martin Fleming concluded the politics student died from a cerebral oedema, swelling of the brain, caused by hyponatraemia - a rare complication of ecstasy use when sodium levels in the body seriously drop.
He said: “It is found more likely than not that there were several lost opportunities to monitor and treat her low sodium blood levels whilst at St Marien’s Hospital and that had she been treated it would have prevented her death.”
Jane, who was in her second year of university, lived in Huddersfield and her parents, Khalil and Rojin, own a restaurant there.
Chrissie Wolfe, an expert international personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Jane’s parents Khalil and Rojin, told the Examiner: “The last 18 months have been extremely difficult for Jane’s family and Khalil and Rojin have been left absolutely heartbroken by their daughter’s death.
“We are currently supporting the Khalaf family as they continue to have a number of unanswered questions concerning how Jane came to ingest ecstasy and whether more could have been done to diagnose the severity of her condition and administer treatment which may ultimately have prevented her death.
“We have begun investigations into the treatment Jane was provided at the St Marien Hospital.
“The family would also like to thank the coroner for opening an investigation into Jane’s death and are relieved that this process has now finally concluded but sadly their quest for answers still goes on.”
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