An English coroner is warning of the dangers certain ottoman beds can pose after a 39-year-old woman died after becoming trapped in one.
Helen Davey was leaning over the storage area of her "Ottoman-styled 'gas-lift' bed" on June 10 when the mattress platform unexpectedly fell down, coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said in his report last week. This caused her neck to be trapped "against the upper surface of the side panel of the bed's face," and after being unable to free herself, Davey died of positional asphyxia, the coroner said.
Chipperfield noted Davey's death as accidental and said that one of the two gas-lift pistons on the bed was defective. But because of the chance that other gas-lift pistons could offer the same fate, the coroner is calling on government agencies to act to reduce the chances, stating the "existence and use" of gas piston bed mechanisms present a "risk to life" due to these failures.
Gas-lift ottoman beds use hydraulics and piston lifts to allow a user to raise the entire surface of the bed, opening up the space underneath for storage. These products typically use two gas pistons on either side that release air as the surface is moved up and down. This mechanism can often make the beds heavier than regular bed frames, and over time, the gas pistons can wear out or lose effectiveness.
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While reading a statement in Crook Coroners' Court, Chipperfield said Davey's bed seemed to be "in a condition which would have made it more difficult to escape," noting that she may have struggled to get up under the weight of the bed, according to local paper The Northern Echo.
Also speaking in court, Davey's daughter, Elizabeth, shared what occurred when she discovered her mom, "lying on her back with her head under the bed. "
"Her legs were bent as if she was trying to get up. I dropped everything that I was holding and tried to lift the top of the bed off her head," Elizabeth said in court, per The Northern Echo. "The bed was no longer a soft close and could fall heavily if it was released. It was so heavy for me to lift it up and try to pull her out. I managed to lift it up enough to use my foot to support it."
Elizabeth said her mom's face looked blue and that her neck had a "clear indent" from the bed's frame when she managed to pull her out. She said she started CPR after noticing she wasn't breathing, and after taking over upon their arrival, paramedics pronounced Davey dead at the scene.
The UK's Department for Business and Trade now has until Dec. 2 to respond to Chipperfield's "report to prevent future deaths." That response must include details of an intended or proposed action, including a timetable, or it must explain why no action is proposed.
