Paraplegic man died after becoming trapped in home hoist system - inquest

A paraplegic man died after he became trapped and suffocated in a hoist system designed to help him move around his home, an inquest heard today.

Gwent Coroner David Bowen said he would be writing to the city council that installed the hoist urging it to issue emergency call buttons to disabled people using such systems without carers.

The inquest heard that Michael Powell, 55, of Pont Faen Road, Newport, lost the use of his legs in a speedway accident in the 70s.

His brother, Nicholas, told the court that Mr Powell was fiercely independent and the hoists were installed in the bedroom and bathroom of his home by Newport Council in 2000.

He said he found him hanging in the hoist in his bedroom on January 21 last year.

"He would always worry about something going wrong, you have to put a lot of trust in equipment like that," he said.

Sarah Williams, an occupational therapist at Newport Council, said the deceased had expressed a desire to use the hoist system without the help of carers.

"He was very happy with the hoists when they were installed as they allowed him to remain as independent as possible in his own home without a carer," she said in a statement read to the court.

But Jamie Davies, an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said the hoists were not designed to be used without the assistance of carer and so there was no way of summoning assistance.

He added that the emergency lowering mechanism on Mr Powell's hoist was faulty, the control panel could inadvertently become detached, and a routine service inspection was one month overdue.

Jeremy Ferreira, who tested the hoist in the HSE laboratory, said the most likely scenario was that the control panel had fallen on the floor when Mr Powell was in the hoist.

He said Mr Powell had then become inverted while trying to escape over the top of the hoist or reach down to pick up the controls because the emergency lowering button did not work.

Mr Ferreira said Mr Powell could have escaped more easily through the bottom of the hoist, but he did not know what state of panic he had been in at the time.

A post mortem examination revealed that Mr Powell died of positional asphyxia and alcohol intoxication.

The report showed he was more than twice the drink-drive limit and that would have worsened his breathing problems once he was upside down.

The coroner directed the jury to return a verdict of accidental death.

But he added: "I propose writing to Newport City Council and urging that they carry out immediate assessment of all disabled persons who have use of hoists such as this without the assistance of carers to ensure they are supplied with some emergency means of summoning help.

"It seems to me if Mr Powell had had an emergency button on his chest or wrist to press he could have summoned help and could have remained, albeit uncomfortably, above the bed until help arrived."

A Newport Council spokeswoman said: "A review is already under way relating to people who live alone and are supplied with equipment such as hoists or bath lifts.

"We will await the coroner's recommendations and consider any further action required."