A POWYS man who died suddenly in Cardiff was looking forward to marrying 'the love of his life', his family has said.

The sister of Gordon Smith, from Machynlleth, said he was "as happy as he had ever been" when he suffered a heart attack in March 2019.

An inquest into his death concluded this week after his family had raised concerns over how he had been treated by paramedics.

Rachel Smith said: “Words alone are not enough to describe what an amazing son, brother, partner, and friend Gordon was. His death has left a huge hole in the lives of everyone who knew him.

READ MORE: Powys man died amid 'chaotic' resuscitation efforts

"His unexpected death was crushing for all of us, but particularly for our mum Janet and Gordon’s partner Dave, who never fully recovered and also sadly died just three years later."

She added: “After reaching a stage in his life where he was as happy as he had ever been, Gordon was so looking forward to the future, and especially his wedding to Dave, the love of his life.

"All of this makes it seem even more cruel that he’s no longer with us."

Mr Smith had been in Cardiff as part of his work for the Welsh Government and Ms Smith explained how he had worked for the Welsh Assembly in the European Funding Office and secured over £2 billion for communities and businesses in Wales.

The inquest into his death, which concluded today (Wednesday, November 27), heard how attempts to resuscitate Mr Smith had been "chaotic", with an intubation tube likely placed in his oesophagus instead of his airway, and a machine that would have told paramedics to shock him with a defibrillator not being switched on for almost 10 minutes.

Assistant coroner Gaynor Kynaston told the hearing in Pontypridd that she could not say that paramedics had been negligent and that due to the underlying condition of Mr Smith's heart she could not say that he would have survived if he had received optimal care. 

READ MORE: Powys man not shocked for six minutes before Cardiff death

Mr Smith's sister added: "While his death alone is so devastating, the circumstances around it makes it all the more difficult to come to terms with.

"We have never been interested in a witch hunt for those responsible for the mistakes. For us justice was about ensuring there was full accountability, which we feel has been achieved.”

Rachael Heyes, a medical negligence solicitor at JMW who is handling the family’s legal case against the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “This has been an extremely long and traumatic process for Gordon’s family, and I would like to pay tribute to them for their dignity and unwavering commitment to finding answers.

“The coroner’s conclusion has brought some closure for them, and the process has helped to ensure that lessons are learned by the Welsh Ambulance Service so that similar mistakes are not repeated.”

Liam Williams, executive director of Quality and Nursing at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Mr Smith’s family through what has been, and continues to be, an extremely difficult time.

“We are grateful to the assistant coroner for her thorough investigation and the opportunity to identify and address any lessons learned.

"As a trust, we have taken steps to ensure that the learning we identified at the time have been considered and changes implemented.

“Our invitation to meet with Mr Smith’s family remains open should they have any outstanding questions following today’s inquest.”