Nurse charged with manslaughter acquitted

"She should never have been charged," said lawyer Einar Gautur Steingrímsson who is defending nurse Ásta Kristín Andrésdóttir in a prominent court case. Andrésdóttir was acquitted this morning at the Reykjavik District Court to great applause. 

The incident involving Andrésdóttir was a medical mistake regarding a respirator and occurred in 2012 which led to the death of a patient. Andrésdóttir later described at court how the case had ruined her marriage and taken a heavy toll on her life. 

Steingrímsson pointed out this morning that there isn't an individual in the world that doesn't make a mistake every day in their life. "It would make it impossible to work in the medical system if manslaughter charges can be pressed for mistakes. In this case I believed that she was not guilty of what she was accused of." He added that the case had touched the hearts of people within the medical system. 

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Article on Iceland Monitor

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