Joe Harker
The father of a woman who died tragically earlier in the year after being suffocated by her ottoman bed spoke about his family's heartbreak.
A coroner issued a warning over ottoman beds after 39-year-old Helen Davey died at her Seaham home on 6 June, suffocated after she leaned over the storage area of the bed and the mattress platform 'unexpectedly' fell on top of her.
The mother of two suffocated after becoming trapped by the bed, pinned between the mattress platform and the base of the bed, leading a coroner to urge the government to take 'urgent' action to stop this from happening to anyone else.
Helen's 19-year-old daughter found her trapped and tried to free her, but when paramedics arrived they pronounced the woman dead at her home.
Her death was ruled as accidental, and police investigating found that one of the pistons on the gas-lift bed which made it easier to lift had been 'defective'.
Helen's father Robert Casson said his daughter had been 'very independent, a strong individual with strong opinions and fiercely loyal' at the inquest, and her daughter Elizabeth said she'd been a 'best friend' to her children.
According to Chronicle Live, her father spoke out on the heartbreak of losing his daughter to the tragic accident, having previously lost his son Luke in similarly tragic circumstances years earlier when he died in a moped accident at the age of 16.
The 39-year-old was laid to rest alongside her brother's ashes, and her father said that 'no words can cover' the loss the family had suffered.
Speaking ahead of the funeral, Robert had said: "Our hearts are broken as we bury our two beloved kids today. Helen, only 39, died 6 June 2024. Luke was 16 and died 21 May 2011.
"Both lost in tragic accidents and will be missed our whole lives. Our love and thanks go out to everyone who has contacted us with messages, cards and flowers.
"There are no words that cover it."
Durham and Darlington senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield wrote in his report that the ottoman bed mechanism that can fail 'presents a risk to life'.
He said: "In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken, in the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you."
A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said they would aim to prevent future tragedies, saying: "This is a horrible tragedy and we’d like to express our sympathy to Helen's friends and family.
"We’re carefully considering the coroner’s report to understand the circumstances in this case and if there is anything we can do to prevent tragedies like this in the future we will respond fully before the deadline."