Latest news with #RoyalAdelaideHospital
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Man sentenced over random violent attack on mother in Adelaide CBD
A man who attacked a mother in the Adelaide CBD only a day after being released from hospital for the treatment of drug-induced psychosis has been sentenced to eight months in jail. Scott Michael Antrobus, 38, was sentenced today for various offences including one count of assault causing harm over the attack in Rundle Mall on March 2 this year. In sentencing, Magistrate John Clover said Antrobus attacked the "complete stranger", who was walking through Rundle Mall with her nine-year-old child, just after midday. Magistrate Clover said members of the public intervened and restrained the 38-year-old until police arrived. He said he then refused to provide his name and was found in possession of an ice pipe. He said Antrobus had been released from the Royal Adelaide Hospital the day before the offending where he sought treatment for "drug-induced psychosis" before being released. "In [the apology letter provided to the court] you described hearing voices on the day of the assault that told you to hurt people," Magistrate Clover said. "However, that claim was abandoned in submissions [and] as is conceded by your guilty plea, you were mentally competent at the time of each offence." Magistrate Clover said Antrobus's legal counsel previously told the court his "mental capacity to understand the nature and quality of [his] actions was not diminished", and that although his mental health conditions are relevant, they do not reduce his "moral culpability". Magistrate Clover said he took the 38-year-old's criminal history and "traumatic childhood" into consideration, but said imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence. "Your assault caused the victim physical and psychological pain. "She suffered pain and a lump to the back of her head." Magistrate Clover said the attack has also had a "negative impact" on the victim's daughter. "Unprovoked and random assaults of this nature tend to undermine public confidence in the safety of areas such as Rundle Mall," he said. He ordered Antrobus to serve eight months behind bars before being released on a bond to be of good behaviour for 18 months. The sentence was backdated to when he was taken into custody on March 2, which means he will be released in November.
News18
5 days ago
- News18
Indian-Origin Man Dies In Australia Days After Cops Kneeled On His Neck During Arrest
Last Updated: The violent arrest took place after Kundi, who had been drinking, was involved in a public argument with his wife A 42-year-old Indian-origin man, Gaurav Kundi, has died after sustaining critical brain injuries during a violent police restraint in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, Australia. During the arrest, an officer had allegedly drove a knee into Kundi's neck. Kundi, a father of two from Modbury North, was hospitalised on May 29 with severe brain injuries and passed away on June 12, according to The Australia Today. The violent arrest took place after Kundi, who had been drinking, was involved in a public argument with his wife, Amritpal Kaur. During the argument, Kundi lay on the ground and reportedly pushed Kaur slightly. Police officers who arrived on the scene believed it was a domestic violence situation and restrained Kundi. Kaur recorded part of the arrest on her phone, capturing Kundi saying, 'I didn't do anything wrong," as officers pinned him down. She later said she stopped filming after an officer placed a knee on Kundi's neck, similar to the 2020 George Floyd case in the United States. Kaur also claimed that during the arrest, Kundi's head was slammed against a police vehicle and the road, causing him to lose consciousness. Kundi was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where doctors confirmed severe damage to his brain and neck nerves. Despite efforts to save him, he died nearly ten days later. South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens had defended the officers involved, stating that bodycam footage showed they followed proper training. 'At this stage, there is nothing to support any allegations that a knee was placed on the person's neck during the incident," he had stated, also dismissing claims of racial motivation. Police said Kundi had violently resisted arrest after leaving his home intoxicated. Acting Assistant Commissioner John DeCandia said investigations are ongoing but expressed confidence that the officers acted appropriately based on initial evidence. South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas also backed the police, acknowledging the difficult nature of their work. Location : Australia First Published: June 15, 2025, 23:11 IST
ABC News
12-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Death of great-grandmother could have been prevented following gall bladder surgery at Clare Hospital, inquest finds
A great-grandmother who died after gall bladder surgery at a regional South Australian hospital could still be alive if a surgeon had abandoned the procedure earlier or had access to a CT scan, a coroner has found. Deputy State Coroner Naomi Kereru found there were "two primary opportunities" that could have prevented the June 2020 death of Kathleen Ethel Salter, 76. Mrs Salter died at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after experienced surgeon Dr Darren Lituri "clipped the wrong structures" during gall bladder surgery at the Clare Hospital in the state's Mid North. During the inquest, the court heard Mrs Salter suffered a significant bleed and was given blood that was more than 12 hours out of date, and had four gauze packs left inside her — but that neither of those incidents had "any clinical impact". Her cause of death was found to be due to "multi-organ failure and sepsis due to complications". Ms Kereru found the first opportunity to prevent Mrs Salter's death occurred when Dr Lituri identified her gall bladder to be "unexpectedly inflamed" and embedded into the liver when he began operating, after pre-surgical tests did not reveal anything unexpected. "It was at this point Dr Lituri should have abandoned the procedure and rescheduled for another time and at a metropolitan hospital," she said. Instead, she said Dr Lituri kept operating but "due to the level of inflammation, Dr Lituri had in fact become misoriented and clipped the wrong structures, being the common bile duct and the hepatic artery". "He was not aware of this error at the time." Mrs Salter was transferred to the RAH and had further surgery but later died. Ms Kereru said the second opportunity to prevent Mrs Salter's death related to the availability of a cholangiogram CT machine — an imaging tool that she said was "important to assist with determining the anatomy before the gall bladder is removed". "This would have illuminated the anatomical area in which Dr Lituri was and should not have been, providing him an opportunity to correct himself," Ms Kereru said. She said had Dr Lituri had access to a CT cholangiogram, "he would have utilised this tool to assist him to identify the critical view of safety". "Had this tool been available to Dr Lituri, Mrs Salter's death could have been prevented." During the inquest, Dr Lituri had told the court that he now only removed gall bladders when a cholangiogram could be done. Ms Kereru made a recommendation that the Health Minister give consideration to the provision of CT cholangiogram facilities at all rural sites in the state where elective gall bladder surgery occurs. She also recommended to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons that training be provided to surgical trainees on the "importance of minimising harm" by not continuing with procedures when unexpected "high-risk" circumstances arise. Ms Kereru also noted that three separate external reviews were conducted after Mrs Salter's care and that Clare Hospital had since changed its processes to prevent out-of-date blood from being given in the future.
ABC News
07-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
SA ambulance ramping surges to third-highest level on record as government 'falls desperately short' of its promise
South Australian patients spent 4,791 hours ramped in ambulances outside public hospitals in May — more than one thousand hours higher than the previous month — as the health system continues to struggle despite billions in extra funding. Two days after releasing a state budget with $1.9 billion in additional money for health, the state government on Saturday published data revealing May was the third-worst month for ambulance ramping in SA since records began in July 2017. The amount of time ambulances spent waiting outside public hospitals to discharge patients increased from 3,700 hours in April to 4,791 in May. The result is roughly in line with the 4,773 hours recorded in May 2024, which preceded a winter surge that saw ramping reach record levels in June (5,539) and July (5,284) of that year. Health Minister Chris Picton said public hospitals were under "significant pressure" last month. "But we've got people stuck in hospital that don't need to be there because they're waiting for a federal aged-care bed." There are 243 elderly patients in SA's public hospitals awaiting an aged care bed, according to the state government. The Royal Adelaide Hospital recorded the biggest spike in ramping hours last month, jumping from 1,194 to 1,698 hours, while the Flinders Medical Centre also spiked from 1,021 to 1,318. Ambulance response times to call-outs also worsened slightly in May. The percentage of priority two call-outs met within the benchmark 16 minutes decreased from 67.7 per cent in April to 60 per cent in May. Priority one call-outs — triaged for a response within eight minutes — stayed the same, with 72.3 per cent of calls met on time. The Malinauskas government highlighted that the May 2025 response times are significantly improved on its early months in office — in May 2022, 54.9 per cent of priority one call-outs and 34.8 per cent of priority two call-outs were being met on time. The head of South Australia's paramedics union said today's ramping figures have given him "grave concerns" about the winter months ahead. Paul Ekkelboom, general secretary of the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA), said his members were also "very frustrated" with the situation. "I get messages every day from regional and metropolitan crews about the extended … hospital ramp times they're having," he said. Asked about the outlook for the next few months, Mr Ekkelboom said: "I've got some grave concerns, obviously." He said the current ramping levels were only around 700 to 800 hours below last year's record numbers and "we've not even hit winter". "If something's not done dramatically, then I think it's going to be even worse than what we saw last year, and that's detrimental to people in the community," he said. The Malinauskas government has invested an additional $9 billion in the state's health system since coming to office in March 2022, according to the state budget papers released on Thursday. Labor won the 2022 election with a core pledge to "fix the ramping crisis" through new spending on hospital beds, ambulances and staff. Opposition health spokesperson Ashton Hurn said the government was falling "desperately short" of its promise. "Labor are now three quarters of the way through their term in office and we're yet to see any green shoots when it comes to delivering on their number-one election promise which was to fix ramping," she said. "We really need to move away … from looking at the statistics here and actually remember what this means for people. "What this means is that sick South Australians are left stranded outside of our hospitals desperate to get in for the care that they need." But the Health Minister said the government was "throwing the kitchen sink" at the problem. "We are opening additional beds which has been called for for years and years and years. "We're putting extra into mental health which has been called for for years and years and years, we've hired an additional, above attrition 2,800 extra doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals. "But we've got a blockage at the other end of the system that is depriving us of that, so every bed that we're opening is pretty much being filled with an aged care resident that can't get into aged care." Thursday's state budget revealed that demand on public health services is estimated to have grown by more than 4.5 per cent in 2024-25, with the government stumping up $1.7 billion over five years just to cope with increasing demand. The state government says it is building and opening more than 330 new hospital beds across Adelaide in 2024 and 2025.
7NEWS
07-06-2025
- 7NEWS
Coward punch victim Dave Harcus died one month after sent home from hospital with Panadeine Forte. His loved- ones want answers
The loved ones of a 'charismatic, hilarious' Cooper Pedy man believe systematic failures led to his death. Dave Harcus died one month after he was coward punched at a land auction in remote SA, and sent home from the hospital with no more than a packet of Panadeine Forte. The blow from behind knocked the 54-year-old NDIS-recipient to the ground, where he smacked his head on the concrete. He had been walking out of the auction with his friend of nearly four decades, Karen Harvey, 62 — who said they left as soon as they realised they were out of the running. Everyone else remained inside as the auction proceedings wrapped up on February 4. Everyone except an old acquaintance with a years-old gripe with Harcus. Severe rheumatoid arthritis meant Harcus was shuffling slowly along the pavement when he was approached from behind. 'It happened so fast, he just came up behind him, punched him in the back of the head, and Dave just fell straight to the ground — didn't even try to put his hands down or anything because he didn't know it was coming,' Harvey told Back in the car, Harcus slumped forward in his seat — he was bleeding from the ear, had cloudy eyes, and was visibly in shock. Harvey said she would take him to the hospital, but Harcus insisted on heading home, where he would file a police report 'in case I die in my sleep'. 'I wasn't going to argue. You can't argue with Dave, I've known him for a long time,' Harvey said. She got a call from Harcus the next day — he was ready to go to the hospital. Harvey dropped him there and recounted the alleged assault to hospital staff, leaving with the assumption that Harcus would be kept overnight for tests, or flown down to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. But she said there were no CT scans, or referrals, just a packet of Panadeine Forte. Days later, Harvey drove him back to the hospital and, once again, Harcus left with only a script for Panadeine Forte. After that, Harcus declined Harvey's further suggestions that he go to the hospital, as his condition deteriorated. His speech had begun to slur when he told her: 'They'll just send me home with more Panadeine Forte.' Harcus did ask if Harvey could book him an appointment with a doctor, instead. The soonest they could fit him in was March 4, the day before he died. Harvey found her friend sweating, shaking and without any control of his bowels when she arrived that day to take him to the doctor. He was bedridden, unable to eat, drink, medicate, or take himself to the bathroom. Harvey said her friend had been alone in this state for days. 'It was heart-wrenching,' Harvey said. She called him an ambulance and told Harcus she would visit him in the hospital the next day, to drop off a policy number for the ambulance cover she would arrange for him in the meantime. But when she arrived at the hospital the next day, a nurse pulled Harvey into a kitchenette and told her: 'I'm really sorry, but your friend Dave passed away in the early hours of this morning.' 'Well, I nearly collapsed,' Harvey said. 'My heart started racing — it was horrible. They made me a cup of tea.' Tracking down the truth Harcus' niece and listed next of kin, Monika Addicott, only learned her uncle had been unwell when she received a call from the hospital three hours after he had died. The 43-year-old said she asked the doctor to give her all the details, but was not told about 'any kind of treatment or examination in the 12 or 13 hours that he was there'. 'They just basically said that he was very calm and very peaceful, and just kind of drifted off into sleep.' Addicott did not learn about the coward punch until she called a Cooper Pedy pub — she was trying to track down anyone who knew her uncle. 'That's when I was told about what happened (at the land auction),' Addicott said. Addicott remembers Harcus fondly, and recalled the time he insisted she come over and stay with him in Coober Pedy in her early 20s, so that he could teach her the value of money and hard work. 'It certainly re-educated me. It gave me my values and an appreciation of what I've got,' Addicott said. At the time of his death, Addicott was living in public housing in Brisbane, where Tropical Cyclone Alfred was ripping through the region. She had to wait until the storm blew over before she could travel to her uncle's home and begin to sort out his affairs. Time slipped by upon her arrival, as she enrolled her child into a Cooper Pedy school, liaised with the coroner, cleaned through Harcus' home, and began to arrange a funeral which she can't afford until she fundraises $9000. 'Evidently, I've exceeded my absentee quota (for public housing), so they've evicted me,' Addicott said. Her friends are currently boxing up her belongings in her absence, and putting them into a storage unit. With so much already on her plate, Addicott said that she would have to cross that bridge when she gets to it. Pushing for further investigation SA Police confirmed to that it is satisfied the alleged assault is not connected to Harcus' death — his loved ones were told he died of a heart attack as a result of a sepsis and pneumonia. It's a diagnosis that still doesn't sit right with Addicott, or Harvey, who watched her friend rapidly deteriorate seemingly from the moment he was hit. She believes gaps in clinical care may have contributed to a causal chain of events that led to her friend's death. Having been twice-prescribed just Panadeine Forte following the assault, Harcus did not believe treatment beyond pain relief was available to him, and died unaware of the severity of his condition, Harvey said. Given Harcus' recent medical history, Harvey believes that if a CT scan ruled out head trauma as a source of his symptoms, then he should have received further holistic assessment to rule out any complications before it was too late. 'For nearly a year, Dave had an infection in his stomach, and he was going to the hospital every second day to get the wound cleaned,' Harvey said. 'Then he went to Adelaide and had an operation and fixed it all up. This was just before everything else went down.' Harvey and Addicott have since pushed for a further investigation into the death, and the SA Coroner's Office told 'The coronial investigation into this death is ongoing.' Because of this ongoing investigation, the hospital was also able to comment on the claims made by Harvey, when contacted by 'Our condolences go to the friends and family of Mr Harcus for their loss,' Eyre and Far North Local Health Network chief executive officer Julie Marron told Following Harcus' death, Harvey followed up with police on their progress in pressing assault charges. She claims it was only then that police 'caught up' with a suspect. A man has been charged with assault and faced Coober Pedy Magistrates Court May, after receiving a summons. The matter was adjourned until late July. 'Everybody was just drawn to him' Addicott described her uncle as an enigma, and recalled the excitement she felt when he would rock up on her doorstep after a prolonged period out of touch. This is exactly how he arrived on her wedding day. 'All throughout my life, that's exactly how he was. You wouldn't hear from him, and then he'd just somehow find ya, and just say, 'G'day!',' she said, adding that he surprised her in this way on her wedding day. Harcus was just 11 years older than Addicott, who said he was 'more like a big brother than an uncle'. He lived with his pet chihuahua, Nigella, a continuation of the tradition — his parents also lived with chihuahuas. Addicott has now adopted Nigella. 'Uncle was the most charismatic, funny, smart man that you could ever possibly come across,' Addicott said. 'Everybody was just drawn to him. He was just always coming up with some crazy idea ... some new way to do things.' Harvey described her late friend as a 'proud, honourable' person and 'a very loyal friend'. 'He was just a good person, he had a very good heart. 'Just an example — my mother died in 2005, and I couldn't get all the funds together — Centrelink wouldn't help, and Mum didn't have any money or a will — and (Harcus) lent me the money to have her cremated. That's the kind of person he was. 'I went to pay him back when I had the money, and he wouldn't take it back.' Harcus had spoken about arranging his own will not long before he died, but never got around to it. Now, Addicott is struggling to pull together her own funds in order to lay Harcus to rest. 'I legitimately have zero way to pay for this ... meanwhile, Uncle lays there, waiting for me to do something ... and all I can do is cry, because I JUST. CAN'T. AFFORD. IT,' the GoFundMe said.
