Mollie Lärkfors, a 10-year-old girl from Västernorrland, tragically passed away from a sudden heart failure while cycling with her brother and cousin. The incident has sparked criticism of the emergency response, as delays and lack of resources may have impacted her chances of survival. Her family is left with unanswered questions as investigations by SOS Alarm and Region Västernorrland are underway.
Tragic Loss: 10-Year-Old Mollie's Sudden Heart Failure Raises Questions
Tragic Loss: 10-Year-Old Mollie's Sudden Heart Failure Raises Questions
Mollie Lärkfors, 10, was cycling with her younger brother and a cousin when she suddenly experienced a severe headache. It was Monday, July 7, and the three children were at their grandparents' home in Alby, near Ånge in Västernorrland. Her brother immediately sought help.
– Mollie was in a lot of pain and wanted something cold on her head. When she got it, she managed to fall asleep a little, but woke up and vomited. Then she collapsed in the shower several times, says Camilla Claesson.
Eventually, Mollie was lifeless.
Her grandmother had already called 112.
Airlifted to Umeå
But the response was not what the family expected.
Sundsvalls Tidning reporter Rolf Lunneborg, who previously wrote about the incident, retrieved the log from SOS Alarm.
This is what happened:
The alarm was received at 21:40.
At 21:57, it was identified that Mollie had a cardiac arrest. A minute later, her grandmother began performing CPR.
An ambulance arrived at 22:10.
At the same time, an ambulance helicopter was alerted.
It arrived at 22:35 and took off for Umeå at 23:37.
But during the night, it became clear that machines were keeping Mollie alive, and by eleven the next morning, they were turned off.
Detailed alarm information shows that if an ambulance had driven from Ånge, it would have arrived in Alby five minutes before Mollie's heart stopped, according to ST.
Mother Criticizes Ambulance Care
Her siblings are full of grief but also questions.
– Their greatest security has disappeared. And there are no questions I can really answer. We don't know what triggered everything.
– She had a massive brain hemorrhage that led to cardiac arrest. It came out of nowhere, says mother Camilla Claesson.
She mourns, but she is also angry.
When the alarm to 112 came in, there was no ambulance in Ånge, even though there should normally be two, according to information from the region to Expressen.
– In that case, it would have taken a maximum of eight minutes to get out, says Camilla Claesson.
No one knows if Mollie's life could have been saved, but the handling creates insecurity, she believes.
– We in the countryside do not have the right to ambulance care, it seems.
Additionally, SOS Alarm did not alert the rescue service, which has CPR competence. Why not? The family has not yet been informed.
SOS Alarm writes in an email to Expressen that an investigation is underway to review how the alarm was handled: "whether routines have been followed and whether the assessments made were correct or not."
– We deeply regret the difficult tragedy for the affected family, says press officer Sarah Hummerdal.
Region Västernorrland, which is responsible for the ambulances, is also investigating.
– What has happened is extremely tragic, I sympathize with the relatives in their difficult time and of course want to give them answers to their questions. The ongoing investigation will clarify the course of events as far as possible, says operations manager Peter Neuman in a statement.
Both parties promise to speak directly with the family – but no such conversations have taken place.
– But the day it happens, I will ask to meet them, so I see faces and body language, says Camilla Claesson.
Mollie was ten years, eight months, and fifteen days old. On Thursday, she was buried in Torps Church in Fränsta.
The priest who conducted the burial had only weeks earlier led the summer closing ceremony. Then Mollie sat at the front, eager to participate in the service and play the French horn.
She had the biggest heart in the world and was also smart and well-read – about most things, her mother says.
– She sat and pondered everything that happened. War. Economic crises. She loved keeping up with the news, says Camilla Claesson.
The feeling is still that Mollie will come home again.
– I still wait for her. I do that today too, even though we buried her yesterday. "Call me," I said to her at the hospital in Umeå, even though I knew she was dead.