By Neill Barston

A popular father-of-four died after a small cut on his back became infected.

An inquest at County Hall, Maidstone, was told 47-year-old Barry Young visited Medway Maritime Hospital on December 1 last year.

He had complained of being ill several days before, which he had attributed to suffering ongoing pain from a spinal injury resulting from a serious car accident in 2001.

Mr Young received regular pain relief injections at the hospital and had been feeling unwell for several days before making the decision to seek medical assistance.

Speaking at the time of his death, partner Sophie Wood, who shared a home with Mr Young and their daughters at Westfield Cottages, Breach Lane, Lower Halstow, paid tribute to him, saying he was a “fantastic family man”.

Giving evidence at the hearing, Ms Wood said the minor accident in the kitchen, when he suffered a small cut to his back on a door latch, had followed a few days after he narrowly avoided serious injury from slipping on their stairs.

She said: “The following week (after his fall on the stairs) he was complaining that his neck was playing up. Since he had surgery a few years ago, he often had problems with it in cold weather. He also had pain going right down his arm.

“I nagged him to go to the doctor during the week but he did not like to go there unless he was in agony. He took a couple of days off work, which was not in his nature at all, and had pain in his arm, neck and fingertips.

“So I took him to our GP and afterwards he said he felt better and would be back at work on Monday. But when he woke up he looked the worst I’d ever seen him, which is when we took him to A&E.”

According to a statement from Dr Kurta, an orthopaedic specialist, Mr Young had been admitted to hospital suffering from pain in his spine, arm and shoulder.

After consultation with several other specialists it was determined the diagnosis of compartment syndrome (an acute problem largely brought on by extensive muscle use) was linked to him going into septic shock.

According to Coroner Roger Sykes, Mr Young then went into rapid decline and doctors had to decide whether to perform emergency surgery for arm and leg amputation.

They decided that he was not in a strong enough condition for this and he died shortly afterwards on December 4.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Sykes was satisfied that Mr Young had received the correct treatment. He expressed his sympathy with his family at what he said were very rare circumstances which led to his condition of contracting septicaemia.

He said: “His death resulted from an accident which no one at the time would rightly have described as being significant. But on the balance of probability it was probably this cut which caused the infection which spread rapidly and severely. So, despite the treatment that was provided, he lost his life as a result of this.

“I am desperately sorry about this and offer you my sincere condolences.”