Ana Uglow: Teenager died after complaining of feeling unwell

10 May 2021

A teenager died from sepsis on a school trip to New York after telling teachers she felt unwell, an inquest has heard.

Ana Uglow, 17, a student at Bristol Grammar School, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West hospital in 2019.

Avon Coroner's Court heard she was on a school trip to Washington, Philadelphia and New York at the time.

Her parents said Ana told teachers she thought she had a chest infection and asked to see a doctor two days before her death, but this was "refused".

A teacher told the inquest Ana had only complained of feeling tired and having a blocked nose, and did not directly ask to see a doctor.

The inquest heard Ana collapsed in her hotel room on the morning of December 19 and was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

Teachers 'ignored her'

A report by the chief medical examiner of the city of New York concluded that Ana, who lived in the Redland area of Bristol, had died from Bronchopneumonia and sepsis complicating an influenza upper respiratory infection.

Ana had been off school with cold-like symptoms for two days before the trip but felt better and set off to Washington from Bristol early on December 14.

The following day, Ana told her mother that she was "exhausted" and had done a walking tour of Washington with students and teachers Rory Hambly and Ellice Clare.

On a journey between Washington and Philadelphia on December 17, Ana called her mother Natalia Uglow several times during the journey.

"Ana said that she was worried she had a chest infection, that she felt much worse and had a fever and a cough," Mrs Uglow said.

Her mother said Ana could not keep up but the teachers "just ignored her and carried on".

Mrs Uglow offered to speak to the teachers but they had told Ana that if she still felt unwell in New York they would take her to a doctor.

"To my dying day I will never forgive myself for not following through my request for her to see a doctor and not phoning the teachers myself and putting pressure on them."

Critical condition

On December 18, Ana told her mother she had not slept as she was sick and had asked the teachers if she could stay in her hotel room that day but they had "forced her to go on a walking tour as they could not leave her alone".

The following day, Mrs Uglow received a phone call from the school's headteacher stating that Ana was in a critical condition in hospital.

Ana had awoken Mr Hambly but, after going back to bed, collapsed when another student went to get her teacher.

"Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what the next few minutes were going to bring," Mr Hambly said.

The inquest continues.