Mum-of-two Helen Davey died after being trapped in ottoman bed - coroner issues stark warning

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A coroner has issued a stark warning after a mum-of-two was killed after becoming trapped in her ottoman bed and suffocating.

Helen Davey, 39, from Seaham, County Durham, died on June 7 after suffocating in the incident which saw her trapped underneath her gas piston ottoman bed. Ms Davey, who worked as a beautician, was found by her 19-year-old daughter Elizabeth, an inquest into her death heard. Ms Davey is also survived by her 11-year-old son George.

Elizabeth said in a statement: “I went upstairs, my mam’s bedroom door was wide open, and I saw her lying on her back with her head under the bed. Her legs were bent as if she was trying to get up.

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“I dropped everything that I was holding and tried to lift the top of the bed off her head. The bed was no longer a soft close and could fall heavily if it was released.”

She added: “It was so heavy for me to lift it up and try to pull her out. I managed to lift it up enough to use my foot to support it.

Helen Davey, 39, was killed after her ottoman bed collapsed on her and suffocated her.Helen Davey, 39, was killed after her ottoman bed collapsed on her and suffocated her.
Helen Davey, 39, was killed after her ottoman bed collapsed on her and suffocated her. | Instagram/@alldolled.up.351

“I noticed that her face was blue with a clear indent on her neck from the frame. I managed to pull her clear. I feared that she was dead as she made no sound. I started CPR and noticed that she wasn’t breathing.”

Despite attempts from emergency services to revive Ms Davey, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police and CSI also attended.

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The inquest heard that one of the two gas pistons used to operate the ‘soft-close’ function on the ottoman bed was found to be defective. Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield, who ruled Ms Davey’s death as accidental, said that video evidence had been seen that showed police officers lifting the bed, which defectively “drops” suddenly when it gets to a certain level.

It was also noted that Ms Davey had a high level of alcohol in her system at the time of her death, as well as prescription drugs. Mr Chipperfield added: “Knowing that she may have been hit on the head and she was intoxicated, it may well have been more difficult (for her to free herself), I am afraid, because she was disconcerted.”

To help prevent future deaths, coroners can write reports urging other authorities to consider taking action. After this inquest in Crook, County Durham, Mr Chipperfield wrote to ministers, including secretary of state for trade and business, and the Office for Product Safety and Standards to warn that action is needed to prevent any further deaths from gas piston ottoman beds.

Mr Chipperfield said: “The deceased was leaning over the storage area of an ottoman-styled ‘gas-lift bed’ when the mattress platform descended unexpectedly, trapping her neck against the upper surface of the side panel of the bed’s base. Unable to free herself, she died of positional asphyxia. One of the two gas-lift pistons was defective.”

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The coroner concluded that a matter of concern was “the existence and use of gas-piston bed mechanisms whose failure presents risk to life”.

In tribute to Ms Davey, her father, Robert Casson, said: “She was very independent, a strong individual with strong opinions and fiercely loyal. She was a loving mother to Elizabeth and George.”

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