A 39-year-old mother died of suffocation due to a defective ottoman bed. The coroner in charge of the case sent a letter to the British authorities to warn about these beds and their risks for people.
THE beds Ottomans have become a popular alternative for those who need extra storage space at home. And they are made so that, under the mattress, the box spring can be used as a sort of storage unit that goes unnoticed.
As mattresses are heavy, these types of beds They are designed with a system to be able to support their weight while people can safely place or remove items from inside the storage space.
However, This gripping system could fail and have fatal consequences.
In England, The Helen Davey affair put Ottoman beds in the spotlight : the 39 year old woman death by asphyxiation when using one of these models.
Was this an isolated case? How risky is it to have an ottoman bed?
What is an ottoman bed
An ottoman bed is a bed model that uses a hydraulic gas lift system to lift the box spring and allow the user to access a storage space.
It is popular among people who need more space at home or small rooms or apartments, because the stored items are “hidden” in the bed structure.
To open them, the person must be at the foot of the bed or, in other cases, on the side.
There are also models that lift manually. However, due to the weight of the bed, they are usually difficult to handle. For this reason, the most purchased option is the one that uses gas to rise.
Generally, The beds feature two gas pistons on each side that release air as the surface rises or falls, leaving people with minimal effort when opening and closing. The problem is that these pistons can wear out over time, become damaged and lose their effectiveness, which could pose a risk to whoever uses them.
How an Ottoman bed killed Helen Davey in England
Helen Davey was 39 years old, owned a beauty salon and was the mother of two children (Elizabeth, 19, and George, 11). The woman, who lived in the north east of England, had purchased an Ottoman for her home which gave her more storage space.
Last Junethe woman was alone, lifting the bed when the gas pistons gave way and the box spring fell unexpectedly, “pinching her neck against the upper surface of the box spring side panel.” British coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said in his report.
“Unable to free himself, died of positional asphyxia. “One of the two pistons of the gas spring was defective.”
According to the statement from Davey’s daughter, Elizabeth, She was the one who found her mother with her head stuck in the Ottoman bed.
“I went up the stairs. My mother’s bedroom door was wide open and “I saw her lying on her back with her head under the bed.” he told the court. “His legs were bent, like he was trying to get up.”
“I dropped everything I had in my hand and tried to lift the top of the bed to take his head off. The bed no longer closed easily and could fall violently if released. It was so heavy I had to lift it and try to get it out. I managed to lift it enough to use my foot to hold it.
But at that moment he realized it was too late.
“I noticed his face was blue and he had a clear mark on his neck from the mount. . I managed to get her out of there. I was afraid she was dead because she wasn’t making any noise. “I started doing CPR and noticed he wasn’t breathing,” his daughter concluded.
In the same case, according to local British media The Northern Echo , Coroner Chipperfield warned that the bed “was in a condition which would have made escape more difficult”. and that the woman would have had difficulty lifting the weight of the bed alone.
He also revealed that Davey was reportedly drunk at the time of the accident. “She was drunk, but she was used to it and I suppose it was part of her life at the time,” she told the court.
“Knowing she may have been hit in the head and was drunk, I fear it may have been more difficult (for her to free herself) because she was distraught.”
The judges understood that The Briton struggled with her alcohol addiction.
Yet Chipperfield insisted that The problem was not the state the woman was in, but a defect in the Ottoman bed. That’s why he sent a letter to Britain’s business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, to investigate this bed design to prevent more deaths.
He assured that in These beds “use gas piston bed mechanisms whose failure poses a life-threatening risk” and that it is a “matter of concern unless action is taken.”
And, under UK law, coroners have a duty to notify the relevant government organization or agency when they believe preventive measures should be taken for possible deaths.
“I think it’s probably (the bed) that’s pushing her down, maybe forward at first. It’s hard to imagine how he ended up face up. “This may have been part of a struggle that occurred while he was trying to get up.” said the coroner.
Farewells from Helen Davey’s family on social media
After the tragic accident, Helen Davey’s daughter Elizabeth wrote a message on social media to say goodbye to her mother. In the writing, she said she and her brother George struggled to “accept what happened.”
“There are no words to describe how we feel. “I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that this is real and you’re not just going to walk through the door.”
“My and George’s best friend since day one, I will always wish that we spent more time together and that you were always by our side to support us as always. . I hope you know how much I love you and that I would do anything for an extra hug. Until we meet again, my angel.
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
