A mother dies of suffocation under her box bed while tidying up

A tragic accident occurred a few months ago in a house in Seaham, England. A 39-year-old mother was tidying up her storage bed when the imposing structure collapsed on her. The victim died of suffocation, reports The Guardian relayed by our colleagues from The Independent.

A failure of the mechanism

In a recent report released following the inquest, the coroner warned the British government and the Office for Product Safety and Standards about the failure of the gas piston mechanism on this bed. He particularly insisted on the fact that this defect presented a risk to life, as demonstrated by this sad affair. He then called on ministers and businesses to take action or more deaths could occur.

According to our colleagues, it was the victim’s daughter who found her when she returned home. “I went upstairs, my mother’s bedroom door was wide open and I saw her lying on her back with her head under the bed,” the 19-year-old said in her deposition. The latter then rushed to try to help her mother.

Mother of two children

“The bed no longer had a soft closing system and could fall heavily if released. It was so heavy I had to lift it to try to get her out,” she continued. She then noticed that her mother’s face was blue. A mark crossed his neck from the frame. The young woman called for help and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation but it was too late.

The investigation determined that one of the pistons was defective. The victim was a beautician well-liked in her community. She had two children aged 11 and 19.