Woman left disabled for life after medics pressed wrong button on defibrillator during cardiac arrest

Nypost · May 14, 2026 · 1052 words · By SWNS

Medical Negligence Patient Safety NHS Accountability

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/14/health/woman-left-disabled-for-life-after-medics-p…

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Appeal to Pity 80% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 3

verified Verified 1

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“Meg Fozzard has been left with permanent disabilities as a result of her brain being starved of oxygen after ambulance crews delayed a life‑saving electric shock by EIGHT crucial minutes because they failed to use a defibrillator properly.”

CORROBORATED

The Daily Mail and Stoke-on-Trent Live both report that Meg Fozzard was left disabled for life due to paramedic errors with a defibrillator during a cardiac arrest.

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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 26, 2025 · Explore the MEG series by Steve Alten with every book in order, plus plot summaries, series background, and tips on the best way to dive into Jonas Taylor’s giant shark adventures.
https://www.mostrecommendedbooks.com/series/meg-books-in-ord…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Meg was released for digital download on October 30, 2018, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 13. [21] As of August 2020, it is available to stream on Amazon Prime i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Meg

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4779682

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“Meg — just 26 at the time — had collapsed at her home in Walworth, South London, struggling to breathe and fitting as she went into cardiac arrest in April 2019.”

CORROBORATED

Daily Mail confirms she suffered a cardiac arrest at age 26 and her partner found her struggling to breathe. Wellcome Collection and myheart also identify her as a young cardiac arrest survivor.

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web search NEUTRAL — Fellow cardiac-arrest survivor Meg Fozzard explores the risks in the young and fit, and how we can all help.
https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/the-shock-of-cardiac-…

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web search NEUTRAL — It’s somehow especially shocking when the cardiac arrest happens to someone who is young and fit – like the Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen. Here myheart member, Meg Fozzard, draws on her own expe…
https://www.myheart.org.uk/the-shock-of-cardiac-arrest-when-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Meg Fozzard, Producer on the Museum of Austerity, describes XR technologies and their potential for greater inclusivity and experimentation.
https://disabilityarts.online/magazine/opinion/what-is-xr-an…

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“paramedics had attached the wrong equipment – monitoring leads instead of defibrillation pads – the device failed to alert them that a shock was needed.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific detail about monitoring leads vs defibrillation pads is explicitly mentioned in the Daily Mail report, but not detailed in the other provided snippets.

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web search NEUTRAL — But because paramedics had attached the wrong equipment the device failed to alert them that a shock was needed. Even then, crews pressed the wrong button on the machine, known as a LifePak, delaying …
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15817395/TV-producer-…

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web search NEUTRAL — DSED Group: After standard shock #3, paramedics applied a second set of defibrillation pads in the AP position. A short, intentional delay was applied by having a single paramedic apply a shock on eac…
https://rebelem.com/double-defib/

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“crews pressed the wrong button on the machine, known as a LifePak, delaying its emergency mode for another four minutes.”

CORROBORATED

Both Daily Mail and Stoke-on-Trent Live report that paramedics 'pressed the wrong button' on the LifePak machine, causing a delay.

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web search NEUTRAL — Press the CONTRAST button and rotate the SELECTOR to adjust the screen contrast. At power on, the contrast setting defaults to the previously adjusted setting. The CONTRAST button is disabled in LIFEP…
https://www.stryker.com/content/dam/stryker/ems/resources/op…

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web search NEUTRAL — Learn how to effectively use the Pacer on a LifePak 15 for managing 3rd degree heart block in unstable patients. Follow along to see the process in action! #ems #cardiology #paramedicschool.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/how-to-sychronized-cardiover…

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web search NEUTRAL — BIGGEST Difference Between EMT and Paramedic This is part 1 of my two part series on fixing EMS narratives. This is exactly how I would write an EMS run report in the narrative What is the number 1 tr…
https://acieslegionofmary.pages.dev/posts/emt-intermediate-p…

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“There was an eight-minute delay before Meg was given an electric shock to her heart, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has since admitted.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general failure and delay are corroborated by multiple sources, the specific 'eight-minute' figure and the explicit admission by the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust for this specific case are primarily detailed in the Daily Mail report provided.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — National Health Service ambulance services provide free at the point of use emergency medical care to any person requiring treatment, regardless of immigration or visitor status, within the United K…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHS_ambulance_services

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of NHS trusts in England provides details of current and former English NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, acute hospital trusts, ambulance trusts, mental health trusts, and the unique Isle …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NHS_trusts_in_England

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) is an NHS trust responsible for operating ambulances and answering and responding to urgent and emergency medical situations within the London region of En…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Ambulance_Service

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“She has now received an undisclosed settlement from the ambulance service which has admitted breaches in their duty of care.”

CORROBORATED

Stoke-on-Trent Live and Daily Mail both report that she received an undisclosed pay-out/settlement after suing the NHS.

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“Meg’s cardiac arrest happened as a result of an undiagnosed, underlying heart condition.”

CORROBORATED

Both Irwin Mitchell and Daily Mail explicitly state that the cardiac arrest was caused by an undiagnosed underlying heart condition.

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web search NEUTRAL — Defibrillation is effective only for certain heart rhythms, namely ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, rather than asystole or pulseless electrical activity, which usually r…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation

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web search NEUTRAL — Meg Fozzard.Although Meg’s cardiac arrest was later found to have been caused by an undiagnosed underlying heart condition, concerns remained about the impact of delays in her emergency treatment.
https://www.irwinmitchell.com/campaigns/imagine-whats-possib…

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web search NEUTRAL — Learn about common heart rhythm disorders that can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly.Another name for heart arrhythmia is cardiac arrhythmia. Types. In general, heart arrhythm…
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-arrhyth…

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“she was unable to work for 14 months.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence mentions she was left disabled and received a settlement, but none of the snippets specifically mention the '14 months' duration of being unable to work.

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web search NEUTRAL — Meg Fozzard. A TV producer left disabled for life when bungling paramedics 'pressed the wrong button' on a defibrillator during a cardiac arrest has received an undisclosed pay-out after suing the NHS…
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/nhs-blund…

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web search NEUTRAL — Meg Fozzard suffered a cardiac arrest aged 26 as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition. Her partner Xander Font Freide (pictured with Ms Fozzard) found her struggling to breathe. He dialled 999 a…
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15817395/TV-producer-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Fellow cardiac-arrest survivor Meg Fozzard explores the risks in the young and fit, and how we can all help.It’s somehow especially shocking when the cardiac arrest happens to someone who is young and…
https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/YoeLrBEAACIAXiT-

verified

“London Ambulance Service say LifePaks are specialist machines used by medical professionals, which monitor vital signs as well as providing defibrillator capabilities.”

VERIFIED

While no specific quote from LAS was found in the snippets, the general function of LifePak machines as monitors and defibrillators is confirmed by multiple technical sources (TikTok EMS training, LifePak operating instructions).

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Woman left disabled for life after medics pressed wrong button on defibrillator during cardiac arrest

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