It seemed a given that she would quickly bounce back, allowing her to carry on with her studies and undergo rehabilitation so she could rejoin her beloved university team.
"Yes, it was a serious injury but not a life-threatening one," Simon said.
Over the next fortnight, Maddy deteriorated dramatically, developing an infection that went unnoticed for days, and eventually dying of sepsis and organ failure. A coroner concluded there had been "gross failures" in her treatment at Southmead hospital in Bristol.
"We're bewildered at how incompetent, uncaring and lax some of the medical staff were," said Simon, a company director.
"That was the really frightening thing, how many of them really couldn't be bothered to do a decent job. The doctors showed no curiosity at all. I feel terribly naive for trusting them." Maddy's mother, Karen Lawrence, a teaching assistant, said: "She was failed by a number of nurses and medical staff. It beggars belief they didn't have sepsis foremost in their minds." The Lawrences, who are from Petersfield, Hampshire, are calling for sepsis to be treated as a "never event", meaning it should not occur if national guidance or safety recommendations are followed.
They want better training on the national early warning score (News), a tool designed to pick up sepsis and patient deterioration, and for staff who do not use it properly to face disciplinary action.
The family is also backing the campaign for a "Martha's rule", named after 13-year-old Martha Mills, making it easier for patients and their families to get a second medical opinion if they believe their concerns are not being taken seriously. "We couldn't agree more with it. Doctors miss stuff, they are not infallible, they are human beings," said Simon.
Esta historia es de la edición September 16, 2023 de The Guardian.
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