The eleven-year-old schoolgirl passed within just hours after being sent home from A&E with a diagnosis of “constipation” despite experiencing stomach pain

Demanding answers, the parents of a schoolgirl who passed away just hours after being sent home from A&E with a constipation diagnosis

On October 13, Annabel Greenhalgh, then eleven, complained of stomach trouble and her parents drove her to Warwick Hospital in the evening.

The doctors released her after stating that she had constipation. However, her father Craig discovered her unconscious the following morning at their Warwick home and called 999. When paramedics arrived, Annabel was declared dead despite their best efforts to revive her.

Annabel needed hospital treatment on many occasions between 2017 and 2021 due to acute spells of stomach pain. This Friday at Coventry Coroners’ Court will mark the beginning of an inquest into the popular schoolgirl’s death.

Her parents, Craig and Josie, have talked about the “gaping hole” that Annabel’s passing has left in their life before the hearing. “Annabel was an amazing child and loved by all who met her,” said 45-year-old Josie. She was kind, incredibly intelligent, imaginative, entertaining, and always inclusive of all people. She cherished her friends, her art, her music, her clothes, and her cherished cat Reuben.

She was our greatest gift and filled our life with so much love, joy, and happiness. “Most of our days have been filled with distress, emptiness, and sorrow since losing her.” Before her terrible death, Annabel had just recently started at Alcester Grammar School, where she was regarded as ‘well-loved’ by both teachers and students. Her parents are hoping the inquest would provide important information about her treatment before she died.

Craig stated: “We trusted that nothing serious was going on when we were told we could bring Annabel home from the hospital.” It is still difficult for us to believe that she was unconscious when we woke up the following morning. Since then, we have been wondering if there was anything more that could have been done to save our beautiful girl.

We still have a lot of unanswered questions about what happened to our only child. We are aware that listening to the entire case again at the inquest will be extremely challenging, but we feel that this is what is necessary to commemorate our daughter and obtain the answers that we have been looking for for over 18 months.

There is a huge void in our life ever since loosing Annabel, and we wouldn’t wish what we’ve gone through on anyone. She was in her prime, having only begun her secondary education. It’s impossible to put into words how much we miss her. Irwin Mitchell’s medical negligence attorneys have been tasked with looking into the tragedy by Craig and Josie. “Josie and Craig understandably remain devastated at losing their little girl so suddenly and tragically,” said Emma Rush, the family’s solicitor.

They’re still curious about a lot of things, including what happened to her. Although Annabel cannot be brought back, the inquiry marks a significant progress in giving her family the answers they are entitled to.