At 11.40am, Austin’s teacher saw him sitting down in the playground, holding his chest, crying and screaming: “My chest hurts.”Austin began to lose all colour to his face, went floppy and lost consciousness.
A transfer team did not arrive until just before midnight, and Austin collapsed as he was being prepared for the flight, an inquest into his death heard.“Austin was an energetic little boy who loved playing soccer, riding his bike, and playing with his little brother, Rome,” Ryan said. “But there is no doubt that a more timely transfer had the potential to improve his chances of survival,” she said.
“The evidence at this inquest established there was a lack of clarity as to which service had ownership of Austin’s transfer which, together with sub-optimal decision-making, led to failure in communication and planning.”