Pupil Dies After Illness is Dismissed as ‘Homesickness’ on School Trip
Handsam School Trips Advisor
Timothy Fehring, a healthy boy of 15, died while on a school trip to Europe after teachers and doctors dismissed his illness as mostly homesickness, despite severe symptoms such as frequent vomiting. He died six days into the trip on 28th June 2019.
Timothy was a year nine student at Blackburn High School in Melbourne and had developed an infection in his blood and lungs that turned into sepsis, which made his body shut down. During the six days he spent on the trip he had lost five kilograms, was throwing up repeatedly, experienced lethargy and struggled to walk.
He was taken to see a doctor whilst on the trip in Germany who said his symptoms were due to gastro, homesickness and constipation.
Coroner Simon McGregor stated that the two members of staff on the trip, who were responsible for the 17 students who attended the trip, had made the “wrong judgement” in treating Tim.
The coroner’s report showed that the 15-year-old had been vomiting repeatedly since the first day of the trip, despite not eating anything. The teachers believed he was suffering the effects of homesickness, jetlag and the change in climate.
Read more of this story on handsamschooltripsadvisor.org.uk.