Parents waited 50 minutes for paramedics to arrive when their son, 38 collapsed and died

A man’s parents waited 50 minutes for paramedics to arrive as their son lay dying in Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Centre, an inquest has found.

Steven and Elaine Bennett watched in agony as first aiders at Boots battled to keep Mark Bennett alive with CPR while they waited.

Mark, 38, who had developed venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to immobility following an injury to his foot, was pronounced dead at the scene when medics arrived on April 14 last year.

An inquest at Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Center heard yesterday how Mark was knocked down with the condition just 10 days after a fall in a London Underground station.

Mark, who had a career in IT and specialized in Apple and Microsoft products, was taken by his parents to Meadowhall for a day out while recovering from his fall.

While they waited outside Boots, Mark called his father inside and said, “Dad, come quickly, I feel funny.”

Steven Bennett gave evidence during the inquest, saying, “I couldn’t see him and the next thing I knew he was in one of the aisles — he’d already collapsed.”

“He had staff around him and they gave him CPR, the staff were great. Boots staff immediately called a paramedic but were told it could take half an hour.

“I shook my head in disbelief at that point, but they really lasted 50 minutes. I always wonder if they had turned up sooner or if they could have saved his life.’

The tragedy unfolded outside Boots in Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Center on April 4

Describing his son, Steven added: ‘He was a very caring character – he had a lot of time for people. He was a very intelligent young man. He was very sensitive and had a lot of empathy for people. He was hardworking and methodical in his thinking. He was a very nice person to know.’

Coroner Stephen Eccleston heard how Mark tripped on a staircase at a subway station ten days earlier, on April 4, and landed ‘clumsily’, injuring his right foot.

ER doctor Akash Mittal, who treated Mark at London’s Royal Free Hospital in the early hours of April 5, told the inquest that Mark’s foot showed signs of a fracture and tissue damage and had an air-molded boot attached to the foot.

Crucially, however, it was decided that Mark was not at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and therefore no blood thinning drugs were prescribed.

While Mark was recuperating at his parents’ home in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, he complained of pain in the back of his leg.

He went to Dianna, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, but an orthopedic doctor diagnosed ‘slight swelling’ and recommended a further examination three weeks later.

The inquest was told that during his assessment at the hospital in London, Mark was scored as ‘zero’ risk of developing VTE, as measured by a scale known as the Plymouth VTE Risk Score.

Dr. However, Mittal admitted that since news of Mark’s death broke, he had changed his practice, “re-emphasizing” the risks of injuries like Mark’s.

The judicial investigation continues.