The death of Vincent Lambert, 42, who had been in a persistent vegetative state since a motorcycle accident 11 years ago, was announced on Thursday, one week after doctors began withdrawing his life support at the end of a lengthy legal battle that bitterly divided his family.
Doctors in a hospital in Reims, north-east France, have begun removing the last support systems keeping alive Vincent Lambert, who was left quadriplegic with what they say describe as irreversible brain damage following a traffic accident 11 years ago, after his parents finally lost their six-year legal battle opposing the move, a case which bitterly divided Lambert's family.
In a dramatic turnaraound, a Paris appeals court late Monday ordered doctors who began earlier in the day to remove vital medical assistance to a man who has remained in a vegetative state for ten years to resume his life support, ruling in favour of his parents and against a decision taken by both the hospital where he has been cared for and the wishes of his wife and several siblings.
A French hospital has begun the process of ending life support for Vincent Lambert, 42, who suffered severe brain damage after a traffic accident in 2008, with the agreement of his wife and several siblings but to the dismay of his parents who have fought a lengthy but unsuccessful legal battle against the decision.
