Barry Comer settles wrongful death claim over ultrasound errors

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Barry Comer settled his wrongful death claim against St James’s Hospital in the High Court on 28 April 2022, with the hospital apologising over errors interpreting his wife’s ultrasound scans.

The proceedings followed the death of Lyndsey Comer, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 2016 after two earlier ultrasound scans. The action alleged that the scans had been misinterpreted and that she should have been referred for CT scans.

The hospital accepted that the scans were misinterpreted and that a CT referral should have been made, but denied that the delay caused her death or affected her treatment or survival. The settlement included €25,000 for the Comer family and payment of legal costs.

The hospital said steps were being taken to reduce the risk of a similar error. Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds welcomed the settlement, reached on the third day of the hearing.