Date of Incident: August 18, 2023

Location: Park Lane West, Netherton

Marie Stevens, described in court as a "kind and bubbly animal lover," suffered serious injuries after being attacked by two Rottweilers while visiting her sister. The incident occurred at approximately 5:45 PM.

Marie was transported to Aintree University Hospital where she underwent two operations for her injuries, including a skin graft on her left calf. She was discharged from the hospital on September 1, 2023.

Date of Death: September 3, 2023

Her husband found her unresponsive outside their downstairs bathroom around 9:30 AM. Despite the arrival of paramedics, she was pronounced dead shortly after.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Marie died from a pulmonary embolism, attributed to a blood clot in her lungs, which was likely exacerbated by her injuries from the dog attack. The court heard she had missed two doses of blood thinning medication following her surgery.

Assistant Coroner Graham Jackson stated that there was no prior evidence of a blood clotting disorder and concluded that the trauma from the dog attack contributed significantly to the development of the blood clots.

Marie underwent a 'split skin graft' on August 24, and her recovery initially showed positive signs. On August 29, she was eager to mobilise, feeling more like herself, and she underwent a stair assessment shortly before her discharge.

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Matthew Kent testified that Marie's injuries were serious but not life-threatening. He noted she was doing well and showed no signs of infection at the time of her discharge.

While several risk factors for pulmonary embolism existed, tests weren't performed as there was no notable change in her condition. Kent was unaware of the missed doses but believed they would not have influenced the decision to discharge her.

Dr. David Simcox, a consultant haematologist, acknowledged that the missed doses likely increased the risk but could not definitively state they caused the embolism. A post-mortem attributed her death to a clot that traveled from her left calf to her lungs.

Dr. Nikhil Sharma from Aintree University Hospital confirmed that Marie's missed medication doses were due to "human error," prompting changes to hospital procedures to prevent such oversights in the future.

In delivering a narrative conclusion, the coroner noted that although there was a delay in Marie's prescription leading to the missed doses, this was not sufficient to establish neglect.

In May 2023, it was reported that Marie was bitten in a "frenzied" attack by two Rottweilers owned by Rachel and Brian Walshe. The couple was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after admitting to owning a dangerously out of control dog that caused her death.