Derry family awarded £40,000 in compensation over daughter's death following operation

The parents of a young Derry girl have received £40,000 in compensation after their daughter died following an operation at Altnagelvin Hospital in 2001.

Raychel Ferguson (pictured above) died a day after a routine appendix operation.

The nine year-old’s death was one of five investigated by the hyponatraemia inquiry, during which the Western Trust admitted liability for her death.

The BBC has reported that Raychel’s family were this morning awarded £40,000 in compensation at the Belfast High Court.

Her parents have said that the settlement cannot replace their daughter, whose death occurred as a result of being administered a lethal dose of intravenous fluid.

Hyponatraemia is an abnormally low level of sodium in blood and can occur when fluids are given incorrectly.