The widower of a BBC presenter who died of complications from being vaccinated against the coronavirus says he has ‘no choice’ but to take legal action against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
Mother of one Lisa Shaw, 44, died of ‘vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia’ in May 2021, about a week after getting her first Covid shot. She worked for BBC Radio Newcastle.
Lawyers for her husband, Gareth Eve, reportedly sent pre-action protocol letters to AstraZeneca last year on behalf of nearly 75 people claiming their relatives died or were injured in connection with the vaccine.
Now, almost two years after Mrs Shaw’s death and the failed attempts to ‘work with the British Government, MPs and three Prime Ministers’, Mr Eve has BBC he has taken legal action in an attempt to get “some kind of recognition or acknowledgment” from the drug maker.
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Gareth Eve says he has ‘no alternative’ but to take legal action against AstraZeneca after his wife, BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Lisa Shaw, died of complications from being vaccinated against coronavirus
Ms Shaw died of ‘vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia’ in May 2021, about a week after receiving her first Covid shot
The grieving widower is suing after allegedly spending two years trying to address vaccine-related deaths and illnesses with British leaders.
Mr Eve claims that no one had ‘reached out or contacted us at all’, forcing him to take legal action against the company.
“We are not idiots or conspiracy theorists, we are husbands and wives and relatives who have lost someone — that’s all,” he said.
The father of one said he just wants “some sort of acknowledgment or acknowledgment that these deaths happened.”
He believes “too many people” are grieving the dead or suffering from illnesses directly related to the Covid jab and claims they are being forced to treat their situation as “a dirty secret.”
Mr Eve said that despite the ‘many lives’ AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been charged with, the lawsuit is designed to draw attention to ‘what this vaccine has done to Lisa and other families’.
He also added that the complaint is not about money, noting that no amount of money will “bring back my son’s mother.”
Mr Eve is suing after allegedly spending two years trying to address vaccine-related deaths and illnesses with UK leaders
The plaintiffs have taken legal action against AstraZeneca under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
It is clear they are seeking damages on the grounds that the Covid vaccine was a ‘defective product because it was not as safe as consumers in general could reasonably expect’.
The plaintiffs have also demanded payment under the government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
The government says that if a person’severely disabled’ as a result of a vaccination against certain diseases, they could receive a one-off tax-free benefit of £120,000.
The Vaccine Compensation is not a compensation scheme. Applicants can still take legal action to claim compensation even if they receive compensation from the scheme, the government says.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was first approved for use in the UK in December 2020 when the government ordered 100 million doses as part of its inoculation programme. The jab was rolled out alongside Pfizer’s Covid vaccine.
Ms Shaw died in May of a vaccine-related condition causing brain swelling and bleeding.
It is clear that the plaintiffs are seeking damages on the grounds that the Covid vaccine was a “defective product because it was not as safe as consumers in general could reasonably expect.” In the photo: Lisa Shaw
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care told the BBC the vaccine was the “most effective prevention” against Covid, but admitted there have been “extremely rare circumstances” where a person has been “seriously disabled or deceased” due to the jab.
The spokesman noted that all vaccines used in the UK have “been through robust clinical trials” and meet the government’s regulatory body’s “strict standards of safety, effectiveness and quality”.
Similarly, an AstraZeneca spokesperson – who declined to comment on pending litigation – told the broadcaster that patient safety is the “top priority”.
The company also reiterated that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has “clear and strict standards in place to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.”
The spokesperson added: “Our condolences go out to anyone who has reported health concerns.”
MailOnline has approached AstraZeneca and the Ministry of Health and Social Care for comment.
