Mum died after neck trapped by 'defective' Ottoman bed

A woman died after a "defective" Ottoman-style bed fell and trapped her, a coroner has said.

Helen Davey, 39, was leaning over the storage area when the mattress platform "unexpectedly" came down in June, at her home in Seaham, County Durham.

Durham and Darlington senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said one of the bed's two gas-lift pistons was "defective", and has called on the government to act to prevent future deaths.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said it would do anything it could to prevent future tragedies.

The inquest, on 4 October, concluded Ms Davey's death was accidental.

A coroner's report said her neck had been trapped against the upper surface of the side panel of the bed's base, on 7 June.

Unable to free herself, Ms Davey, who was born in Hartlepool, died of "positional asphyxia", the report added.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report, the coroner said the existence and use of gas piston bed mechanisms that fail "presents risk to life".

He said during the course of the inquest, the evidence revealed "matters giving rise to concern".

"In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken," he said in a report.

"In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you."

Mr Chipperfield has written to the business secretary and the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

The DBT has until 2 December to respond, unless the period is extended.

It must set out a timetable of "action taken or proposed to be taken".

A DBT spokesperson said: "This is a horrible tragedy and we’d like to express our sympathy to Helen's friends and family.

"We’re carefully considering the coroner’s report to understand the circumstances in this case and if there is anything we can do to prevent tragedies like this in the future we will respond fully before the deadline."

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