Woman dies after 'broken' Ottoman-style bed falls and traps her | British News

A “defective” Ottoman-style bed caused a woman's death after it fell and trapped her, according to a coroner's report.

Helen Davey, 39, was leaning over the bed's storage area as the gas-powered section shut down.

According to a coroner's report, her neck became trapped in the bed frame, she was unable to free herself and died of asphyxiation at her Seaham home. County Durham.

The beautician was reportedly found lying on her back with her head under the bed by her daughter Elizabeth, who tried to free her, they say The Northern Echo.

Jeremy Chipperfield, a coroner in Durham and Darlington, ruled Ms Davey's death an accident at an inquest at Crook Coroners' Court earlier this month.

To prevent future deaths, coroners can write reports urging other authorities to take action.

In a report to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and the Office of Product Safety and Standards, Mr Chipperfield said one of the two gas pistons used to raise Ms Davey's bed was “defective”.

“The deceased was leaning over the shelf of an Ottoman-style 'gas lift bed' when the mattress platform unexpectedly lowered, trapping her neck on the top of the side wall of the bed frame,” the coroner wrote.

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“Unable to free herself, she died of positional asphyxia. One of the two gas lift pistons was defective.”

He said if no action was taken there was a risk that deaths could occur in the future.

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“In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action,” he wrote.

Ms Davey was described by her father during the inquest as “very independent, a strong person with strong views (who) was fiercely loyal”, The Northern Echo reported.