Mum wants law change after daughter's death

Audio captionGaynor says her daughter might not have died if emergency services were called sooner.
  • Author, Charlotte Broadbent
  • Role, 大象传媒 Hereford & Worcester

A Hereford mother whose daughter died two years ago is calling for a change in the law requiring everyone to provide a duty of care in life-threatening situations.

Gaynor Holland's daughter, Charlotte Savage, was discovered at an address on Green Street, Hereford, on 17 July, 2022.

But Ms Holland says the outcome could have been different if the person her 20-year-old daughter had been with had called the emergency services sooner.

Ms Holland said: 鈥淪he could have had a chance and that half an hour could have made a difference.鈥

She added: 鈥淭hey may not have been able to save her but nobody will ever know.鈥

Ms Savage died from 鈥渢raumatic head, chest and spinal injuries due to a fall from a height," according to a coroner.

And currently, there is no defined legal duty to come to someone else's aid.

This means a person cannot be held liable for not acting while another person is in peril.

Ms Holland has now started a petition for that to change.

She is proposing a change in the law that would require individuals present at the scene of an accident or injury to immediately contact emergency services.

Ms Holland said it would 鈥渓eave a legacy for Charlotte鈥 so that 鈥渉er life meant something鈥.

She hopes it would also mean that other families 鈥渨on鈥檛 have to go through what I鈥檝e gone through鈥.

West Mercia Police said in relation to Charlotte鈥檚 death that "an investigation was carried out and no further police action is going to be taken".

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