Dylan Jones waited 15 hours in total before medics raced to his aid, by which point his family say it was too late to save him
Ruth Suter and Olivia Bridge
11:59, 08 Jan 2026Updated 12:00, 08 Jan 2026
Dylan died just days before Christmas(Image: UGC)
A father-of-three with a liver condition was left waiting in agony for hours while waiting for emergency treatment before his death.
Dylan Jones, 28, from Scotland, reported he was suffering “unbearable” pain to 999 dispatchers after falling ill at work.
His relatives claim the fibre engineer was then forced to wait an agonising two hours for the ambulance to arrive, after which he was blue-lighted to hospital, reports the Daily Record.
Yet Dylan, who had cirrhosis of the liver and had been diagnosed with a genetic condition at birth, was ‘left on a trolley’ in the corridor for 13 hours.
Dylan’s cousin thinks he could have been saved with swifter action(Image: Daily Record)
While waiting for an MRI scan, his spleen ruptured and he was internally bleeding.
The father-of-three was then raced to theatre where medics managed to stabilise him and stop the bleeding. He was placed on a breathing machine and given several blood transfusions.
Tragically, Dylan died 10 days later at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, just days before Christmas on December 20.
His loved ones say his organs had become severely compromised while he was waiting for urgent treatment in A&E and are now speaking out, saying they believe a quicker response could have spared his life.
His cousin, Billielea Porter, 32, told the Record: “By the time Dylan was eventually scanned and operated on, his body was so gone that he just wasn’t going to be able to make a full recovery.
“From the offset, medics would have known about his liver condition. He should never have been left to lie on a trolley like that for all that time.
“He fought so hard, but if he had been seen sooner, he would still be alive today and his children would still have their dad.”
Due to Dylan’s liver condition, the high pressure on his portal vein had backed up into his spleen, which would have become enlarged.
Dylan died just days before Christmas(Image: UGC)
According to medical journals, cirrhosis of the liver significantly increases the risk of spleen complications, leading to severe abdominal pain, shock, rupture and high mortality if left untreated.
Dylan’s cause of death was confirmed to be liver failure, spleen rupture and a genetic condition called Jeune Syndrome, which he had been diagnosed with at birth.
Billielea said: “When his spleen ruptured, it would have had a big impact on his liver and by the time they got his internal bleeding under control, his liver had already started to fail.
“Given that they would have known of the cirrhosis of his liver, why wasn’t he seen for 13 hours? How did they fail to spot that his spleen had ruptured and that he was bleeding inside?
“He was left to lie on a trolley in a corridor for hours on end, when they could have used that time to save his life.”
In a tribute, the young man has been remembered as a “great dad” who “lit up every room he walked in”.
Billielea added: “Dylan was always laughing and joking, you were never sad when he was around. He lit up every room he walked in.
Dylan’s cousin Billielea Porter, and mum Susan Johnston(Image: Daily Record)
“He was so full of life and was a great dad to his three young kids. We’re all heartbroken without him.”
Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie described Dylan’s untimely death as a “scandal” amid a healthcare crisis in Scotland.
The MSP said: “This heartbreaking case shows us the true cost of the crisis in our NHS and my thoughts are with Dylan’s family. It is a scandal that young parents are losing their lives while waiting for emergency healthcare on the SNP’s watch and its devastating for their family.
“While John Swinney and Neil Gray insist things are going well in our NHS, in our hospitals, Scots are still paying the price for SNP failure.
“This complacent SNP government has made it clear it cannot fix the problems in our NHS and cannot be trusted with a third decade in charge
“Scots need an NHS that they can rely on and a government committed to delivering that.”
Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian also said in a statement: “We apologise for the length of wait Mr Jones experienced at A&E and extend our sincere condolences to his family.
“However, Mr Jones sadly died following ten days in intensive care and multiple interventions for a long standing and serious illness.”
“We encourage his family to contact us directly to discuss any concerns they have with his care.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Dylan Jones at this unimaginably difficult time. I would also like to make clear that it is not acceptable that Mr Jones waited so long in A&E.
“Excessively long waits are not acceptable and I apologise to all patients who are waiting too long.
“We are determined to do more and we want everyone to receive the best possible care and treatment. We are working closely with NHS Boards to improve patient flow, reduce waiting times for emergency care and diagnostic tests and ensure they have the support needed to manage peaks in demand this winter.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the patient’s family. “While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we would encourage the family to contact our Patient Experience Team at a suitable time so we can discuss the actions taken based on the information provided during the 999 calls.
“Any learning identified through our engagement with the family will be fully implemented.”
An online fundraiser has since been set up to cover the costs of Dylan’s funeral and to support his three young children.
Donate here.