A man who died with extreme salmonella pleaded with paramedics for help and said 'I'm in trouble', an ambulance service investigation has found.
Niptoon Tavakoli became unwell after having duck eggs at a village show on family outing on June 2, 2019.
In three emergency calls, made five days later he told call handlers he had sickness and diarrhoea.
During the call, Yorkshire Live reports he said: "I need help very quick."
An ambulance service report revealed the 65-year-old said he had food poisoning, a high temperature, and chest pains during the third call.
He added: "I’m in trouble."
But when paramedics arrived at his home in Doncaster, Yorkshire after 4pm they decided not to take him to hospital.
They thought he was suffering from gastroenteritis and did not want to cause a sickness outbreak.
Mr Tavakoli, then told the crew that he felt his organs were "shutting down".
A note advising Mr Tavakoli possibly had sepsis had been passed to the crew and the ambulance service report found he was displaying 'amber' signs of sepsis, which causes the body to attack itself in response to an infection.
The paramedics conducted tests and left after around 30 minutes.
On June 10, 2019, his wife Cheryl dialled 999 after he complained he was aching and had no strength.
A 'mottled rash' had also developed on his arms and legs.
Mr Tavakoli was taken to hospital by the same crew who had visited him three days earlier and a hospital consultant diagnosed him with one of the 'worst cases of salmonella' they had ever seen.
His condition continued to worsen and he sadly died in hospital on August 12, 2019, from multiple organ failure.
An inquest found Mr Tavakoli, who was a stepfather to Andrew and Paul, died of natural causes. In the aftermath of her husband's death, Cheryl, 63, hired specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his illness and care he received from Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS).
YAS has since admitted liability for Mr Tavakoli's death and a serious incident report by the trust found "it would have been appropriate" to take him to hospital.
The service said it had arranged training for staff and had updated its policies and sepsis screening tools based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and UK Sepsis Trust advice.
Cheryl said: "It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the impact Niptoon's death has had on our family.
"He was such a caring and fun person who loved spending time with his family and friends but also antique hunting and collecting coins.
"The last three years, and trying to come to terms with what happened, have taken a toll on all of us. Trying to grieve has been made all the harder because of having so many unanswered concerns.
"While nothing can bring him back we take some small comfort from at least being able to honour his memory by now establishing the answers Niptoon deserved.
"However, we feel we need to speak out to raise awareness of the dangers of not only salmonella but sepsis.
"People have probably heard of sepsis but I’m not sure everyone is fully aware of how dangerous it is."
"Niptoon had worked in the catering business for years so knew the importance of good hygiene, safety standards and knew how to cook duck eggs.
"That he contracted salmonella even with his knowledge shows that others could fall ill after eating them.
"We just want to try and make people aware as we wouldn’t want another family to go through what we have."
An investigation by Public Health England found the source of Mr Tavakoli's salmonella was from the duck eggs he had bought.
It found another person in the West Midlands had also fallen ill with the same strain of salmonella, but had recovered.
Doncaster Coroner's Court was told Mr Tavakoli arrived at hospital at 10pm on June 10, 2019, but did not receive antibiotics until 11.30am the next day.
Sepsis guidelines stated he should have been given antibiotics within an hour of arrival. However, the court heard the delay would not have made a difference to the outcome.
The ambulance service report also found that Mr Tavakoli was taken to hospital by ambulance under normal road conditions.
Given his condition, it would have been appropriate to have 'blue lighted' him as an emergency.
Catherine Slattery the expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Mr Tavakoli's family said: "Cheryl and the rest of the family continue to be greatly affected by Niptoon’s death, especially the circumstances surrounding it."
"For several years they have had a number of concerns about the events that unfolded.
"Sadly the inquest and the ambulance service’s report have validated those concerns.
"The effects of gastric illnesses such as salmonella should never be downplayed. In Niptoon’s case it led to him developing sepsis which is an incredibly dangerous illness; however, the condition can be beaten if diagnosed and treated quickly.
"While it’s too late for Niptoon and his family, we welcome that the ambulance service has taken measures to improve sepsis awareness among its staff.
"However, it's vital that lessons continue to be learned to improve patient safety for others."
