Olivia Burke
A coroner has issued a stark warning to ministers regarding the deadly risk of ottoman beds after a Brit mum became trapped in one and tragically suffocated to death.
Helen Davey sadly passed away at her home in Seaham, County Durham, on 7 June this year, despite attempts from her 19-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to free her.
The 39-year-old was leaning over the storage area of the bed when the mattress platform 'unexpectedly' came down on top of her, horrifically trapping her between the mattress and the base, the BBC reports.
According to a report by Durham and Darlington's senior coroner, Jeremy Chipperfield, the ottoman's gas-lifted section suddenly fell and pinned the beautician on her back with her head under the bed, leaving her unable to escape.
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He has now written to the government calling for urgent 'action' to be taken to prevent other similar deaths.
Helen was found confined underneath the bed by her daughter Elizabeth, according to The Northern Echo, who frantically tried to free her.
In a statement read in court, the teenager explained that the bed was 'heavy', but she had eventually managed to lift it up, before beginning to perform CPR on Helen while alerting emergency services.
The mum - who also has an 11-year-old son, George - sadly could not be saved, and paramedics pronounced Helen dead at the family home.
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Ruling her death as accidental, Chipperfield said the mum had died of 'positional asphyxia' in his report.
Police later attended the property and found that one of the two pistons on the ottoman, which makes it easier to lift the bed, was 'defective' - prompting the coroner to urge officials to take steps to prevent further deaths.
The coroner said evidence presented during the course of the inquest unearthed 'matters giving rise to concern'.
In a report to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and the Office of Product Safety and Standards, Chipperfield explained: "The deceased was leaning over the storage area of an Ottoman-styled 'gas-lift bed' when the mattress platform descended unexpectedly, trapping her neck against the upper surface of the side panel of the bed's base.
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"Unable to free herself, she died of positional asphyxia," the report continued.
"One of the two gas-lift pistons was defective.
"In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action.
"In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you."
Coroners in the UK can write Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports to ministers calling on them to consider taking action if they believe doing so could prevent future deaths.
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Helen was described as a 'very independent, a strong individual with strong opinions [who was] fiercely loyal' by her father, while her daughter Elizabeth said she was her and George's 'best friend' in an emotional Facebook post.
According to furniture wholesaler GIE Furniture, gas-lifted beds use two gas pistols which are positioned on either side of the ottoman.
Its website explains: "They make a gas-like sound, releasing air as you manoeuvre your ottoman bed up and down.
"This helps with the lifting, as trying to lift your ottoman bed up without this gas feature could lead to injury.
"These gas pistons also keep the bed and mattress intact as you raise and lower the bed."