‘Hard-working’ builder, 21, died after falling down flight of stairs following night out to celebrate pay rise

A builder died after he tripped and fell down a flight of stairs after a night out.

As reported by The News in Portsmouth, Samuel Tutton, 21 from Southsea, was celebrating a pay rise at work with a night out when he tragically tripped after struggling to open a protective baby gate.

He was staying at a friend’s house after returning from an outing in Portsmouth with his girlfriend and two other friends.

‘He looked panicked’

Speaking at an inquiry into his death, Mr Tutton’s girlfriend Autumn Mason said that her partner had been drinking “socially” with her and two friends earlier in the day.

Mr Tutton had consumed two beers and shared a pitcher-and-a-half of cocktails while out in Portsmouth, and continued to drink after the group had returned to the flat at 3am.

Ms Mason told the hearing that he had also taken four ibuprofen before heading to bed.

She explained that he had he had woken her up at around 4.30am as he was going to the toilet and she heard Mr Tutton struggling to open a protective baby gate at the top of the stairs.

Ms Mason said: “I started to get up to help him and as I stood he hit his foot on the gate causing him to trip.

“I saw him falling, he looked panicked with his arms in the air, then I couldn’t see him and heard two massive bangs.

“I shouted again and ran out of the front room and saw a glimpse of Sam at the bottom of the stairs.”

She then explained how Mr Tutton was found at the bottom of the stairs with a nosebleed, with the group beginning to perform CPR as he was not breathing.

‘Hard-working’ builder had just been given pay rise

Dawn Stalker, Ms Tutton’s mother, told the inquiry he had just been given a pay rise at his job in a building and maintenance firm.

She described her son as “hard-working”, adding that “everything was falling into place” for the 21-year-old.

Ms Stalker said: “Everything was falling into place for my lovely son, he was in a happy relationship with his girlfriend; Sam was in such a happy place.

“He went out to celebrate his pay rise and his best friend being on leave from the Royal Marines.”

Samuel died due to ‘unsurvivable injury’

As a result of the fall, Mr Tutton was assessed to have suffered a “unsurvivable injury” to his brain after being taken to Southampton General Hospital, according to coroner Samantha Marsh.

The reason for his death was given as hemorrhaging and a cardiac arrest.

Ms Marsh said: “This is such a tragic, tragic case for a young man that was only 21 years old, a very happy man whose life was just starting out and everything was falling into place.

“Unfortunately tragedy has struck.”

She explained it was the first time that Mr Tutton had visited the flat and he was not familiar with the protective baby gate at the top of the stairs.

Ms Marsh added: “He was tipsy but not completely annihilated and having the effects of the drinking when he has taken a trip, unfortunately caught his foot, tumbled over the baby gate causing him to tumble down the stairs.

“He hasn’t been able to stop his fall down that entire flight of stairs.

“The injuries he suffered were entirely incompatible with life.”

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