News / International
Zim man killed in fall from UK hospital
03 Mar 2012 at 20:34hrs | Views
WITNESSES watched in horror on Friday as a Zimbabwean man died after falling from a fourth-floor window at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre in the UK.
Joseph Chauya had been trying to jump from a window of the hospital's West Block at around 1.55pm on Friday. He was pronounced dead at 2.30pm.
A family spokesman told reporters that Chauya, who was in his 50s and was married with three children, had undergone a successful operation for a brain tumour on Wednesday.
"The operation was successful and he was moved to a high dependence recovery unit of the hospital on Thursday," the spokesman said.
"However on the same day hospital officials called the family saying he was agitated and wanted someone to come and help them calm him down. But when his wife arrived at the hospital, Joseph was already dead.
"The problem we have is the information is inconsistent and as a family we're looking for answers. We want to know how a patient under the care of professionals gets to move from his ward, smash a double-glazed window and jump through, apparently overpowering nurses who are said to have been trying to hold him back?
"We will just wait for the police to complete their investigations so that we know what happened to Joseph. But as far as we are concerned this tragedy happened while Joseph was in the care of professionals and explanations given so far are very inconsistent."
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses say staff fought for more than ten minutes to stop Chauya from falling.
Louise Bowler, 24, of Aspley, had just been discharged from the hospital when she witnessed the incident.
She said: "I saw two police cars and a lot of people stood around. I then saw a broken window and two nurses holding a man's legs.
"He was face down up there for around ten minutes and the nurses had hold of him.
"Everyone down here was shouting 'don't do it'. Then one of his legs got free and I screamed.
"I turned around and just saw him drop. He tried to put his arms down as he landed."
She added: "It was the most horrendous thing I have seen in my life. It must have been horrible for the nurses. Just seeing someone's life go like that, it's tragic."
Police cordoned off the scene for much of Friday afternoon while investigations were carried out.
A window on the fourth floor was smashed, while glass and medical equipment could be seen on the ground beneath the window.
A third-year medical student at the University of Nottingham also stood in shock at the scene.
The 20-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said: "It's quite surreal.
"You think of a hospital as a place where you go to get better in a safe environment. When you see something like this out of the blue it's shocking."
Peter Homa, chief executive for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "It is with great sadness that we report that a patient has died from what is understood to be a determined attempt to jump from a fourth-storey window at the Queen's Medical Centre.
"We wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family at this very distressing time."
Joseph Chauya had been trying to jump from a window of the hospital's West Block at around 1.55pm on Friday. He was pronounced dead at 2.30pm.
A family spokesman told reporters that Chauya, who was in his 50s and was married with three children, had undergone a successful operation for a brain tumour on Wednesday.
"The operation was successful and he was moved to a high dependence recovery unit of the hospital on Thursday," the spokesman said.
"However on the same day hospital officials called the family saying he was agitated and wanted someone to come and help them calm him down. But when his wife arrived at the hospital, Joseph was already dead.
"The problem we have is the information is inconsistent and as a family we're looking for answers. We want to know how a patient under the care of professionals gets to move from his ward, smash a double-glazed window and jump through, apparently overpowering nurses who are said to have been trying to hold him back?
"We will just wait for the police to complete their investigations so that we know what happened to Joseph. But as far as we are concerned this tragedy happened while Joseph was in the care of professionals and explanations given so far are very inconsistent."
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses say staff fought for more than ten minutes to stop Chauya from falling.
Louise Bowler, 24, of Aspley, had just been discharged from the hospital when she witnessed the incident.
She said: "I saw two police cars and a lot of people stood around. I then saw a broken window and two nurses holding a man's legs.
"He was face down up there for around ten minutes and the nurses had hold of him.
"Everyone down here was shouting 'don't do it'. Then one of his legs got free and I screamed.
"I turned around and just saw him drop. He tried to put his arms down as he landed."
She added: "It was the most horrendous thing I have seen in my life. It must have been horrible for the nurses. Just seeing someone's life go like that, it's tragic."
Police cordoned off the scene for much of Friday afternoon while investigations were carried out.
A window on the fourth floor was smashed, while glass and medical equipment could be seen on the ground beneath the window.
A third-year medical student at the University of Nottingham also stood in shock at the scene.
The 20-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said: "It's quite surreal.
"You think of a hospital as a place where you go to get better in a safe environment. When you see something like this out of the blue it's shocking."
Peter Homa, chief executive for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "It is with great sadness that we report that a patient has died from what is understood to be a determined attempt to jump from a fourth-storey window at the Queen's Medical Centre.
"We wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family at this very distressing time."
Source - thisisnottingham.co.uk
