Woman dies of suffocation due to faulty ottoman bed

(CNN)- A 39-year-old British woman died when a malfunctioning ottoman bed fell on her neck and suffocated her, according to a coroner’s report.

Helen Davy, who lived in the north-east of England and ran a beauty salon, died in June when “she was leaning over the storage area of ​​a ‘gas-lift’ ottoman bed,” coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said in his Said in the report. Last week.

Ottoman beds have a base that can be raised, usually using a hydraulic gas lift system, to access storage space below. They are a popular choice for homeowners who want to keep bedding or clothing out of sight out of season.

“The mattress platform of Dewey’s bed unexpectedly fell, trapping his neck on the upper surface of the side panel of the bed base,” Chipperfield said. “Unable to free himself, he died of positional asphyxia. “One of the two gas lift pistons was defective.”

According to a statement read in court and reported by local newspaper The Northern Echo, Davy was found by his daughter Elizabeth.

“I went upstairs, the door to my mother’s room was open and I saw her lying on her back with her head at the bottom of the bed,” Elizabeth told the court.

“His legs were bent as if he was trying to get up. I dropped whatever was in my hand and tried to lift the top of the bed over her head. The bed was no longer a soft seal and could collapse heavily if he released it. It was too heavy for me to lift and try to take it out. “I managed to lift it up enough to use my leg to support it,” he said.

“I saw that his face was blue and there was a clear mark on his neck from the frame. I managed to get it out. I was afraid she was dead because she didn’t make any sound. “I started doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him and realized he wasn’t breathing,” he said.

Chipperfield warned in a letter to the British Secretary of State for Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, that there was a risk of future deaths “unless action is taken”, highlighting “the existence and use of the gas” as “a cause for concern”. Has gone. Piston bed mechanisms whose failure poses a threat to life.”

Under British law, coroners must notify the relevant organization or government agency when they believe action should be taken to prevent future deaths.