Student, 24 ‘was sent back to her flat to die’ by doctors
Family sues over tragedy of US undergraduate at St Andrews
‘Kate had become very ill’
THE family of an American student found dead in her bedroom at one of Scotland’s top universities is suing doctors over her care.
Kaitlyn Vasconcellos, 24, was only weeks away from graduating with her honours degree in economics at St Andrews University when she suddenly died.
Miss Vasconcellos, known as Kate, had been admitted to hospital five weeks earlier for an infection but doctors failed to locate the source. Two days before she was found dead in May 2015, she had sought medical help after experiencing similar symptoms.
Her Californian parents claim she was given antibiotics and a GP appointment but allowed to return to her room in university accommodation at Agnes Blackadder Hall in the Fife town.
Now her family have lodged papers at the Court of Session seeking damages.
It is understood the claims are being made against doctors at the Pipeland Medical Practice in St Andrews and the NHS health boards in Fife and Tayside.
Writing on an online blog in her memory, parents Linda and Guy Vasconcellos, of Rocklin, said: ‘As many of you know, Kate was attending the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
‘About five weeks prior to her passing, Kate had become very ill, and did spend several days in a hospital near St Andrews. She did have a surgery to deal with an infection, which the medical staff stated they were not fully able to determine the source of.
‘However, all indications were that her recovery went fine, and that she had been feeling much better. We do know that Kate presented herself to the local St Andrews Hospital on Sunday morning with symptoms that sound very similar to those that she had experienced in her late March illness.
‘She apparently received some antibiotics, and was scheduled to see her general practitioner later this week, but was released to return to her room. To the best of our knowledge, that was the last time Kate was seen or heard from. She was found in her room expired on Tuesday morning (May 5).’
Miss Vasconcellos is survived by her parents, sister Brooke and brother Craig and grandmother Dolores McCall.
Edinburgh-based Balfour and Manson, which is acting for the Vasconcellos family, declined to comment on behalf of its client yesterday.
A spokesman for NHS Tayside said he was unable to comment as it was a ‘legal matter’.
Miss Vasconcellos would have been 28 on June 27. Her father Guy paid tribute to her online, disclosing that his wife was in Scotland celebrating their daughter’s life with other graduates by jumping into the North Sea. He said: ‘My dearest Kaitlyn, this was to be your 28th birthday.
‘While I miss you every day, it’s days like today that bring back such vivid memories of your charming, caring personality, your knack for entertainment and the fun times that we shared when you were growing up.
‘You should know that your mom is in St Andrews right now preparing for the Leap of Kate group plunge event into the North Sea being done in your honour.
‘We know how much you were looking forward to taking this leap upon graduating from St Andrews, and still remember that look of terror on your mother’s face when you first told her what you would be doing.
‘And now, for her to be leading the charge into that frigid cold water is quite a tribute to the commitment she has to honouring your life and goals. ‘I love and miss you dearly.’ After Miss Vasconcellos’ death, university principal Professor Louise Richardson paid tribute, saying ‘her teachers have been shocked and enormously saddened’ by the death of ‘a quiet, thoughtful and determined student with an unfailingly pleasant nature’.