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Man choked to death on a sandwich
A RETIRED mechanical engineer died after choking on a sandwich, an inquest heard.
Frank Dawson, from Kiln Place estate off Grafton Road, was enjoying a visit from his brother on Halloween last year when a part of a sandwich got lodged in his throat.
St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday how Mr Dawson, 80, who was described as “frail”, normally had his food cut up for him because of his difficulties with swallowing.
Tragically, on the day he died, Mr Dawson had asked his wife, Esperanza, to let him feed himself while he was with his brother.
Mrs Dawson, 56, said: “I used to feed him and give him just little bits, but because his brother was there he wanted to do it.
“He was very proud.”
Breaking down on several occasions, Mrs Dawson described how both she and her husband’s brother looked on helplessly as Mr Dawson suffocated.
Despite taking advice from emergency services operators on the phone while they waited for an ambulance, the pair were unable to save him.
“We were all eating sandwiches and talking. He was very happy,” she said.
Mr Dawson also suffered from several debilitating illnesses, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and prostate cancer, which coroner Dr Andrew Reid said had contributed to his death.
Dr Reid ruled Mr Dawson died from a blocked windpipe and damaged heart arteries.
He said: “Before paramedics arrived you (Mrs Dawson) took instruction on the phone.
“The ambulance say [they found him] sitting in a chair. It was clear he’d had a cardiac arrest. They performed CPR, but the electronic device showed a flatline.”
He added: “His illnesses made it harder for him to control his swallowing. On the balance of probabilities I’m satisfied Mr Dawson died as a result of an accidental complication as a result of his underlying illnesses.
“It was a tragic accident.” |
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