Why does this not supprise me?
Accidental kerb fall led to death
Oct 13 2005 | |
By Adrian Short, Weekly News | |
A MAN who suffered rare and complex bone fractures when falling over a kerb after a night out drinking died from blood clots arising from his injuries, an inquest heard. Clifford Jones, 64, a retired lorry driver of Bellhouse Lane, Widnes, died on June 5, 2004, two days after being admitted to Whiston Hospital. On June 3, Mr Jones had drunk four or five pints of bitter in the Millfield pub in Widnes, and was later found injured on the pavement on William Street. Witness Maurice Broom, a friend, said Mr Jones didn't know what had happened but begged him to help him up. He sat him up, 'rolled him a fag' and an ambulance arrived within 20 minutes Police were satisfied Mr Jones had fallen over, despite him telling a nurse he was the victim of a hit-and-run driver. A paramedic knew he had broken hips because his legs were 'at a funny angle'. He underwent 'dynamic hip screw surgery' after it was found that he had suffered a rare bilateral fracture of the hips which had left bone fragments at the injury site. Following the operation Mr Jones was confused and disorientated and had low blood pressure. But he refused a blood transfusion, saying he had become a Jehovah's Witness. His condition stabilised in intensive care but he soon developed multiple organ failure and died. A post-mortem examination found nothing to suggest Mr Jones had been struck by a vehicle. The pathologist said he was believed to be a heavy drinker but there was no alcohol-related pathology to be found. However, there was clear evidence that he had suffered a 'shower of fat emboli', blockages in the circulatory system, which proved lethal. During psychiatric assessment he was behaving abnormally, shifting in bed, reaching into the air and mumbling to himself. Soon after he had a heart attack. Cheshire coroner Mr Nicholas Rheinberg recorded a narrative verdict. He said: 'Mr Jones accidentally fell and sustained bilateral fracture of the femur - as a result of the fractures and the necessary surgery, he suffered a fat emboli, the major cause of death with unreplaced blood loss as a contributory factor.' |