Son Wants "Peace"

Styrian woman dies after surgery: Investigation against doctor

Christine F. (small photo) passed away at the LKH Hochsteiermark hospital. An investigation is underway against the doctor.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/privat, Jürgen Radspieler)

A Styrian doctor is under investigation for grossly negligent homicide. She is accused of failing to treat Christine F. (57) in a timely manner; the woman died in the hospital. Her son is grieving and asking himself question after question.

It was supposed to be a routine surgery—and ended in tragedy! “My mother was supposed to have a stent inserted,” says her son Christian. To this day, he still cannot come to terms with the fact that his mother was dead two days later—on March 22, 2025.

The procedure itself went without complications. But in the recovery room at LKH Hochsteiermark, her condition suddenly deteriorated rapidly. The cause of the circulatory failure—that the patient was bleeding internally into her pelvis—is said to have been recognized by the doctor on duty only one to two hours later.

Suspected doctor no longer on duty
Emergency surgery came too late: “They said she wouldn’t make it through the night. It knocked the wind out of me,” Christian reports. At her deathbed, staff lit a tea light and handed him a letter of condolence: “Even though she was still alive,” he describes the situation. About an hour after midnight, she died of multiple organ failure.

Christine F. (small photo) died at the LKH Hochsteiermark hospital. An investigation is underway against the doctor.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/privat, Jürgen Radspieler)

When I called the hospital, they told me she was undergoing an autopsy and that I would have to contact the “client” for further information.

Der irritierte Sohn der Verstorbenen

However, the bereaved son had to find out for himself that an investigation was underway against his mother’s doctor: “The funeral home told me that we had to postpone the funeral because my mom’s body hadn’t been released. When I called the hospital, they told me she was undergoing an autopsy and that I would have to contact the ‘authorizing officer’ for further information,” explains the bewildered son. Through the Medical University of Graz, he was referred to the Leoben District Attorney’s Office.

“There, I had to request access to the files. But I received them just one day later. Then I read that an investigation was underway for grossly negligent homicide. I just couldn’t believe it!” says the man from Styria, who is now being represented by the well-known attorney Karin Prutsch-Lang.

The vascular surgery report indicates malpractice. The public prosecutor’s office is now reviewing how to proceed.

Viktoria Steinecker, Staatsanwaltschaft Leoben

Hospital filed criminal complaint
Viktoria Steinecker, spokesperson for the Leoben Public Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed to the “Krone” that an investigation is underway on suspicion of grossly negligent homicide and explained the rationale: “The vascular surgery report indicates misconduct. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is now reviewing how to proceed.” Response from Kages: “Immediately after the relevant information came to light, LKH Hochsteiermark submitted a statement of facts to the competent public prosecutor’s office and is cooperating fully with the investigating authorities. Furthermore, we can confirm that the accused individual is no longer employed by Kages.”

For his son Christian, however, one thing is clear: “I won’t be able to find peace until I have absolute clarity on everything. This simply cannot be swept under the rug.” The grieving man still has a long, rocky road ahead of him.