Abigail Hall inquest: Fresher died from ‘mystery illness’ at Sheffield Hall Uni halls - Daily Star

Fresher tragedy: Student died from ‘mystery illness’ four days after moving to university

A FRESHER died after being struck by a mystery illness four days after moving into university halls, an inquest heard.

Abigail Hall SWNS

TRAGEDY: Abigail Hall died four days after moving into her halls of residence

Abigail Hall, 18, had been sick and complaining of stomach pains for three days before she collapsed at her student digs at Sheffield Hallam Uni. 

The “happy and friendly” teen died hours later on the evening of September 23, 2015, Sheffield Coroners’ Court heard. 

Abigail’s heartbroken parents, Charlotte and Mark, took their daughter to a nearby walk-in centre the day before her death.

Abigail Hall SWNS

HAPPY: Abigail was just 18 when she tragically died

Abigail Hall and Josh Thompson SWNS

HEARTBREAK: Abigail's boyfriend Josh had planned to propose

“Everything we did felt real, she would always be there with a smile on her face, and she could never do enough for me”

Abigail Hall's boyfriend, Josh Thompson

The biomedical sciences student described how her vomit resembled “coffee coloured grounds”, the Sheffield Star reports. 

An on-call doctor gave her a prescription for Buscopan, which can be used to treat stomach cramps, adding that her illness could be “a virus or the beginning of appendicitis”, Mrs Hall told the court. 

Abigail’s concerned parents asked her to return home with them to Doncaster to recover - but she insisted on staying to enrol on her course the following day. 

Her friend Agata Paliwada raised the alarm after finding her collapsed in the bathroom but despite the best efforts of paramedics she could not be saved. 

A post-mortem later revealed Abigail’s lungs had “aspirational material” in them but pathologist Simon Kim Survana could find “no explanation why”. 

Her primary cause of death was recorded as Aspiration Pneumonitis, when foreign material is taken into the lungs. 

Assistant Coroner David Urpeth vowed to uncover what caused Abigail to continuously vomit in the days before her tragic death. 

On the night she moved into the halls of residence in Shoreham Street, Highfield, Abigail joined friends at Tank nightclub, before attending a “paint party” the following evening. 

She is said to have been “tipsy” but not drunk on both occasions.

Abigail Hall and boyfriend Ben Thompson SWNS

MYSTERY: Medics are unsure why Abigail became unwell

Abigail Hall SWNS

BEAUTIFUL: Tributes have been paid to the friendly teenager

But Abigail began complaining of “sharp stomach aches” around 20 minutes after arriving home from the paint party, shortly before she began vomiting. 

Her devastated boyfriend, Josh Thompson, paid tribute to his “Panda”, revealing how he intended to propose to her after her first year of uni. 

Mr Thompson said: “Everything we did felt real, she would always be there with a smile on her face, and she could never do enough for me.” 

The inquest continues.