An Australian woman died from a caffeine overdose in April 2021 after waiting nearly seven hours for an ambulance, an inquest has heard.
Christina Lackmann, 32, from Melbourne, was feeling dizzy and numb when she called emergency services. She didn’t receive any help and died alone in her bathroom hours later.
Lackmann didn’t get immediate medical attention, 9News reported, because there was an “unacceptable” delay in the ambulance arriving at her home. She was found unresponsive on her bathroom floor with her dog by her side.
A toxicology report later confirmed lethal levels of caffeine in her body.
Thinking it was a case of vertigo, the emergency services operator categorised Lackmann’s call as “non-urgent” and an ambulance didn’t reach her until just after 2am, nearly seven hours after she had first made the call for help.
“At 7.49pm, Christina called 000 from her mobile phone and requested an ambulance. She reported to the call-taker she felt sick, numb all over her body, and dizzy,” the coroner’s file read.
“I am satisfied that Christina’s death was the consequence of the ingestion of caffeine tablets,” coroner Catherine Fitzgerald added.
“However, I am not satisfied to the requisite standard that Christina intended to take her own life, although this remains a distinct possibility.”
A paramedic was assigned to attend to the biomedical science student twice between 9.14pm and 1.46am but both times they were redirected to respond to higher-priority emergencies.
After an ambulance arrived at Lackmann’s residence at 2.23am, paramedics took help from a neighbour to climb onto her balcony from an adjacent apartment. Inside, they found Lackmann dead in her bathroom.
She was found to have an exceptionally high concentration of caffeine in her blood and stomach.
According to court documents, associate professor Narendra Gunja, a specialist medical practitioner in clinical and forensic toxicology, said Lackmann likely would have received treatment sooner had she been asked about any medication she was taking during the emergency call, according to the report. “This would likely have led to appropriate management with the use of antidote therapy and haemodialysis. If these management strategies were followed, Gunja considered it likely that Christina would have survived, even with a large caffeine overdose,” the file recorded.
“However, in the absence of information about the time Christina ingested the caffeine, or the length of time between ingestion and the making of 000 call, Gunja was not able to pinpoint a specific time at which Christina’s death was still preventable.”
The report concluded the ambulance services response that night was marked by an “excessive and unacceptable” delay.
Lackmann was born in Mona Vale, New South Wales, and grew up with her parents and two brothers.
In March, fitness enthusiast Katie Donnell, 28, died from a caffeine overdose, which her grieving mother attributed to excessive energy drink consumption.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
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