Widow of thunderstorm asthma victim, Priyantha Peiris, sues Ambulance Victoria

A woman whose husband died after suffering breathing difficulties during a freak thunderstorm asthma event which swept across Melbourne in 2016 has launched legal action against Ambulance Victoria over his death.

A widow has launched legal action against Ambulance Victoria over the death of her husband during a freak thunderstorm asthma event that killed 10.

Priyantha Peiris, 57, collapsed in the living room of his family’s Roxburgh Park home on November 21, 2016, as the storm swept across Melbourne.

The grandfather waited almost half an hour for help to arrive, by which time it was too late. He died in hospital eight days later.

Ann Peiris and her husband, Priyantha Peiris.

Three years on, his wife of 38 years, Ann, is suing Ambulance Victoria and the state’s emergency call-taking service, ESTA, claiming they were negligent in advising how long it would take for paramedics to arrive.

Ms Peiris will claim her husband may have survived had she been aware of the ambulance delay and had the opportunity to take him to hospital herself.

Injury lawyer Sach Fernando, who is representing Ms Peiris, said the past three years had been traumatic for the Peiris family.

Hoi-Sam Lau (right) was a victim of the thunderstorm asthma event.

“Mr Peiris’s untimely death could have been avoided if his family was properly informed about the provision of help that they were led to believe was on its way,” Mr Fernando said.

Ms Peiris is seeking damages for the trauma suffered since her husband’s death.

The Herald Sun understands this is the first civil case to be launched against emergency services since the storm.

Such cases must be lodged within three years of death or injury, with the deadline to expire in a little more than three months.

Clarence Leo, pictured with his wife Amanda Leo, died from an asthma attack during the storm.

Seven men and three women, aged between 18 and 57, died during or soon after the spring evening storm, which was triggered by high pollen levels, strong winds and hot temperatures combined with a sudden cold front. It was the deadliest asthma thunderstorm in the world.

Mr Peiris, Omar Moujalled, 18, Hope Carnevali, 20, Apollo Papadopoulos, 35, Clarence Leo, 37, Ling-Ling Ang, 47, Hoi-Sam Lau, 49, Min Guo, 29, Le Hue Huynh, 46, and Thao Minh La, 48, all died from respiratory problems caused by the storm.

Apollo Papadopoulos also died from breathing problems during the storm.

An inquest into the deaths of the 10 people heard calls to ESTA jumped 700 per cent, with requests for help coming in almost every 4.5 seconds.

Callers who dialled triple-0 during the storm were told an ambulance was on its way when that was not the case, the Coroners Court was told.

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Mr Peiris, an electrical fitter, had gone outside to retrieve washing and put his car in the garage before the storm hit. Minutes later he started having trouble breathing and collapsed.

Following the record surge in triple-0 calls, emergency ­operators no longer tell priority callers “the ambulance is now on its way”, instead saying “help is being arranged”.

@GenevieveAlison

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