Doctors missed crucial warnings that a young tradie’s larynx was ‘grossly abnormal’ following a motorcycle crash – a fatal oversight that cost him his life.

A coronial inquest into the death of Kyle Gallagher, 22, found that critical warning signs were missed in the final 24 hours of his life.

The young roofer survived a motorbike crash on June 17, 2023, north of Brisbane, after losing control of his bike and hitting a car. 

He was admitted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to recover from a brain injury, and discharged himself 12 days later. 

Kyle’s stepmother Tegan Samorowski said he didn’t realise he’d been in an accident due to his brain injury and kept asking why he was ‘sore’.

He returned to hospital on July 6 after experiencing pain, and was admitted to the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) four days later. 

Kyle’s family was assured he was expected to make a full recovery.

But in the days leading up to his death, he sent both his parents desperate messages complaining he was struggling to breathe and wasn’t getting any help. 

‘I need something to help me breathe,’ he texted his father, Matty Gallagher. 

‘They’re not giving me anything and I won’t make it much longer.’

His worried family tried to invoke Ryan’s Rule, a three-step patient escalation process in Queensland used when a patient’s condition is worsening or not improving as expected, and when concerns are not being addressed by the treating team.

But they were told the 22-year-old had been deemed fit to make his own decisions. 

Kyle had a CT scan on his neck on July 13, with a radiologist finding his larynx – or  voice box – was ‘grossly abnormal’ and showed signs of substantial airway narrowing and possible infection. 

The radiologist raised the alarm with doctors, but the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) team ‘did not identify the serious compromise of Kyle’s airway’, the coroner found. 

The inquest found that if the CT scan had been properly recognised and acted on, Kyle’s airway could have been secured through intubation or a tracheostomy.

‘Had an appropriate ENT assessment been undertaken, on balance, Kyle would not have died,’ the coroner found.

Kyle’s complaints about not being able to breathe were attributed to anxiety and his brain injury by hospital staff. 

The inquest found nurses checked on him regularly and acted appropriately based on the information they had, but that his condition had worsened by July 14.

In the early hours of that morning, Kyle rang his mum, Christina Dargusch, from his hospital bed, but she didn’t pick up.

Just hours later, he was found unresponsive and could not be resuscitated. 

It was ruled Kyle died from airway obstruction caused by a severe laryngeal condition linked to his earlier injuries from the crash. 

Ms Dargusch only realised her son had called the next morning, shortly after she was told he had passed away in the care of the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS), which is part of Brisbane’s Metro North Hospital. 

‘Why is he dead? Why?’ Mr Gallagher demanded to know on 7News.

He said Kyle had tried to contact them because ‘he knew he was dying’.

The coroner found the ENT evaluation on July 13 was inadequate and failed to sufficiently take into account the findings of the CT scan, the radiologist’s concerns, or Kyle’s complaints that he was struggling to breathe.  

The inquest found a breakdown in communication between junior and senior doctors contributed to the failure to recognise the scan’s seriousness.

A Metro North Health spokesperson told Daily Mail: ‘Metro North Health extends its deepest condolences to the family for their loss.’

‘Following this incident, Metro North implemented changes to procedures, escalation pathways and staff training to strengthen patient safety and care,’ the spokesperson said.

‘We are carefully reviewing the coroner’s findings to identify further opportunities for learning and improvement, and remain committed to delivering safe, high-quality care to our community.’