Soon after the holiday she became ill and her condition quickly deteriorated
Paulette and James Crookes
A woman died after contracting legionella from a hot tub at a holiday cottage rented to celebrate her 70th birthday, an inquest jury has ruled. Paulette Crookes, a retired butcher’s assistant, had been staying with family at the Dairyman’s Cottage at Tapnell Farm on the Isle of Wight – where she spent “a lot of time” in the hot tub.
Soon after the holiday she became ill and her condition quickly deteriorated. Mrs Crookes died at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport, Isle of Wight, on March 8, 2020. A jury inquest into her death concluded that her death was as a result of pneumonia which had been directly caused by a legionella infection acquired from the hot tub.
Mrs Crookes, originally from Rochford in Essex and living in Sandown, Isle of Wight, had booked the February 2020 getaway with 10 relatives. The inquest previously heard her family arrived on February 7, 2020, using the hot tub several times throughout the weekend.
Her daughter Nicola Vaughan, 51, said her mum “spend a lot of time” in it on the first day – but, by the second day, the family had noticed a “strange smell” and “cloudy, off-colour” water. On the final day of the holiday, Mrs Crookes said she felt unwell and left early.
Several relatives later became ill, including grandchildren who developed rashes. The family emailed Tapnell Farm to warn that some relatives were “ill” and “rashy” and passed on doctors’ comments that “the rash is a direct result of a poorly maintained hot tub”.
Another of Mrs Crookes’ daughters, Denise Scott, 48, told the inquest: “From the time we arrived to the time we left, I did not see anyone check or test the water in the hot tub.” At home, Mrs Crookes’ condition worsened, as she suffered dizziness and vomiting.
On February 16, she was rushed to hospital and transferred to ICU, where she struggled with a breathing mask. This was later removed as she was placed into an induced coma on February 18 so that she could rest.
Days later, doctors confirmed she had legionella. Her condition worsened and she suffered a stroke and a heart attack before she died on March 8 after breathing tubes were removed.
Mrs Scott told the inquest: “This was an utterly horrific experience. I thought my heart was breaking it hurt so much.” The inquest heard that Environmental Health visits took place at Tapnell Farm but none showed the strain of legionella that infected Mrs Crookes.
The inquest heard that the Environmental Health investigation was “significantly hampered by the pandemic”. Mrs Crookes’ family lodged complaints with the council about their dissatisfaction with the investigation and the lack of prosecution. Tapnell Farm accommodation manager Chloe Baker previously told the inquest she did not review hot tub testing records submitted by housekeeping manager Joanna Lloyd – instead, she simply filed them.
Coroner Caroline Sumeray told the jury: “Perhaps that might have been a more professional approach to risk assessment.” The inquest heard all hot tubs at Tapnell Farm were removed in March 2020 for reasons including environmental concerns, energy use, health and safety – and the pandemic.
Housekeeping manager Joanna Lloyd, responsible for maintaining and testing the hot tubs, insisted during the inquest that she tested the water daily and had noticed no issues. The coroner reminded the jury in summing up: “I questioned Ms Lloyd robustly about whether she had actually done the testing when the Crookes party was present, as none of them had seen her during two visits – and the dogs hadn’t barked. She was insistent that she had visited.”
She added: “Ultimately, it is a matter for you to decide if the tests were done on those days based on the evidence that you have heard.”
Before sending the jury out, the coroner asked them: “Are you satisfied on the balance of probability that the legionella pneumophila infection was acquired from the hot tub at Dairyman’s Cottage?” The jury concluded that Mrs Crookes died from pneumonia caused by a legionella pneumophila infection acquired from the hot tub at the holiday cottage where she had celebrated her birthday.
After the conclusion, the coroner thanked Mrs Crookes’ family for their “extraordinary patience and dignity”. She added: “Your beloved mum died right at the start of the pandemic and the whole investigation took an age to complete, because everything went down at that extraordinary time.”
