California man dies from tooth infection after it spreads to his blood and lungs

Vadim Kondratyuk leaves behind a wife and two young daughters

Truck driver Vadim Kondratyuk had complained of toothache (NBC News)

A man has died from a tooth infection after it spread to his blood and lungs.

Lorry driver Vadim Kondratyuk had complained of toothache when he set off for New York from his home in California on 17 January.

He stopped at a dentist in Oklahoma City, where he was treated for an infection and prescribed antibiotics, reports KCRA News.

But on arrival, he phoned his brother to say he was in too much pain and might struggle to make the 2,700-mile trip back home.

“Nobody thought that from a tooth something so big can happen and go everywhere,” Mr Kondratyuk’s wife Nataliya told the TV station. “I was crying and his brother was like, ‘he will be ok’.”

After making it part of the way home, the 26-year-old was in so much pain his brother took him to hospital in Utah, where doctors said the infection had spread to his lungs.

His condition quickly deteriorated and he died on Monday with his wife by his side.

Mr Kondratyuk leaves behind two daughters, two-year-old Vanessa and 11-month-old Maya.

“It’s going to be hard with both my kids without a husband,” said Ms Kondratyuk. “Half of me is just taken away.”