There was a tragic death in northeast England where a 39-year-old woman named Helen Davey lost her life due to a faulty ottoman bed. It fell upon her neck and she died due to suffocation. The information was released by the coroner recently.
Helen Davey: A Mother’s Tragic End After Ottoman Bed Mishap
Helen Davey was a beauty salon owner. She lived in England. Her daughter, Elizabeth, found her in June, following an accident. It occurred when Helen attempted to get something that was kept in her ottoman bed with a gas-lift. Ottomans are beds designed such that they could be lifted up; in doing so, there would be access to the space under the mattress itself. This space is generally utilized to store blankets, clothes, etc.
Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield testified that Helen’s bed fell down with the mattress, pinning her neck to the edge of the bed. Helen was thus unable to get free and died of asphyxia because her breathing was restricted by the weight of the bed. The coroner found that one of the gas-lift pistons which support the bed was faulty, which would have caused the accident.
Discovery by Her Daughter
One of the things Elizabeth shared about this experience is when she found her mom in court. She said she went to her bedroom and found her mom lying on her back with her head stuck under the bed. She was bent as if she had tried to get up, a thing she had never seen before. In a pensive mood, she tried lifting the heavy bed off her mom, but that was hard to do.
She was finally able to lift the bed high enough with her strength so that she could use her foot as a support while pulling her mother out from beneath the wreckage. Elizabeth soon realized that Helen’s face was painted blue and had a long mark on her neck from where the bed frame caught her. She thought that her mom might be dead because there was no reaction. So, Elizabeth began CPR, but sadly, Helen was not breathing and too late to be salvaged.
Coronary Warnings
Coroner Chipperfield is still cautioning people about the risks of gas-lift beds. According to him, if these beds are not able to function in case of failure, then there are great risks of risking life and death. He, therefore, writes to the UK’s business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and calls upon his government to take urgent action so that such accidents do not happen again.
In his letter, the coroner emphasized the point of safety checks and regulations regarding gas-lift bed mechanisms. He asserted that such products must be safe enough for consumers.
Death from UK Beds
This is not a new issue of safety in furniture. As statistics show, in the UK, 147 persons died from falling out of bed in 2022 and 18 persons died from accidental asphyxia and strangulation in or around bed. It has been reported by Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), where it monitors safety issues in the country and works toward accident prevention.
These statistics point out the need for people to be aware of some sort of knowledge regarding the types of beds and furniture that may cause danger. Safety in design is what manufacturers should look into not to experience a severe accident like the one that led to Helen’s death.
FAQs
Q. What is an Ottoman bed?
An ottoman bed is a lift-up bed where people can put things underneath it. This proves helpful to keep one’s bedding, clothes, and other belongings tidy and out of sight.
Q. How did Helen Davey die?
Helen died from asphyxia, mainly because she got trapped by her broken ottoman bed. The fall was so unexpected that it folded over and subsequently trapped her neck, cutting off her air supply.
Q. Who found Helen Davey?
Her daughter, Elizabeth, had gone to her mother’s bedroom and found the dreadful situation.
Q. What may be done to avoid such accidents in the future?
The coroner wants a review of gas-lift beds so that consumers are assured of safety. It may involve higher standards of safety and regular checks on mechanisms used in these beds.
Q. How many deaths because of the beds occur in the UK?
In 2022, the safety organisations have documented 147 deaths resulting from falling out of bed and 18 from suffocation or strangulation associated with beds.
Conclusion
The tragic death of Helen Davey and how she died may raise questions in people’s minds regarding this type of freak accident, especially when it involves faulty furniture, such as an ottoman super king bed. There is a valid reason why strict safety regulations and rising awareness must prevent such incidents from happening again to hurt people in the future. Authorities are being asked to act quickly to prevent such tragedy from occurring once more, particularly with items like the ottoman super king bed, so that loss alone may not accompany pain for the families of this country.
