Stourbridge doctor's death after crash was 'accident'
A doctor who died at home two hours after crashing her car may have accidentally taken too much of her heart condition medication, an inquest heard.
Dr Liz Pope, who was a GP in Stourbridge and was a leading figure in Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group, was found dead in the bath at her home in Claverley on November 27 last year.
An inquest was told that the 38-year-old GP, who worked at the Three Villages Practice, in Amblecote, died of flecainide toxicity following the earlier collision with a cyclist.
Shropshire coroner John Ellery said there was no evidence to suggest Dr Pope had intended to kill herself.
But there was a chance that she accidentally took too much of the drug, which is used to regulate an irregular heartbeat.
He concluded that death was due to an accident.
One theory given to the inquest, held in Shrewsbury, was that the GP took the drug because of the stress brought on by the accident.
The inquest heard Dr Pope had received treatment for a hole in the heart some time ago and had been taking flecainide to maintain heartbeat rhythm.
Dr Tamara Sharma-Dekker, a GP at Claverley Medical Practice where Dr Pope was a patient, said the GP may have self-medicated to control palpitations after the crash.
But pathologist Dr Vivek Mudaliar and toxicologist Dr Colin Seneviratne said they could not be specific on how many tablets she had taken because levels of the drug rise in the blood after death.
The inquest heard from Dr Pope's husband Trevor, who said she had been busy at work at her surgery in Stourbridge but that it had otherwise been a very normal morning.
Dr Pope's car was left on its roof in the accident. Mr Pope collected his wife from the scene, took her home and then went out to get her prescription. When he returned he found her dead in the bath.
The hearing was told the GP had shown no signs of depression and had just booked a riding holiday.
She had plans to take part in a triathlon and was due to volunteer at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.
The coroner said he could think of no reason why the doctor would want to commit suicide and he concluded her death was accidental.
He said: "She had everything to live for; she was looking to the future. If, for whatever reason, she took the flecainide it was not to kill herself – it was for some other reason."
The Three Villages Medical Practice said Dr Pope was 'sorely missed'.
