Parents watched in horror as son, 38, died in shopping centre after collapsing in Boots
01.03.2023 - 11:59
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A man who was 'in the prime of his life' died just 50 minutes after calling his dad to say he 'felt funny', an inquest heard.
Mark Bennett collapsed inside a Boots store in the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield in April last year. He had developed venous thromboembolism as a result of immobility following an injury to his foot, YorkshireLive reports.
His parents Steven and Elaine Bennett had to wait for an agonising 50 minutes for paramedics to arrive on the scene after their son collapsed, the inquest was told. Despite first-aiders at Boots battling to keep him alive with CPR, Mark tragically died.
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His family told the inquest how before his death, the 38-year-old was 'really excited' about buying a flat in Manchester. Sheffield's Medico-Legal Centre heard on Tuesday (February 28) how IT worker Mark was struck down with venous thromboembolism just 10 days after a fall at a London Underground station.
On April 14 last year, his parents had taken him to Meadowhall for a day out while he was still recovering. As they waited outside Boots, Mark called dad Steven from inside, saying: "Dad, come quick, I feel funny."
Giving evidence at the inquest, Steven said: "I couldn't see him and the next thing I knew he was in one of the aisles - he had already collapsed. He had staff all around him and they were giving him CPR, the staff were tremendous.
"Boots staff phoned for a paramedic straight away but were told it could be half an hour. I shook my head in disbelief at that point but they actually took 50 minutes.
"I always wonder if they had turned up earlier whether they could have saved