A paraplegic man in Wales has been found dead in his home in Pont Faen Road, Newport.
Michael Powell 55, lost the use of his legs in a speedway accident in the 70’s, he had always tried to remain independent and used the hoist system to help him around his home.
Powell had two hoists, one in the bathroom and another in his bedroom.
Michael’s brother Nicholas found him hanging from the hoist in the bedroom on 21st January 2008. He said of Michael: “He would always worry about something going wrong, you have to put a lot of trust in equipment like that,”
In a statement read out in court, occupational therapist Sarah Williams said: “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,”
The Health and Safety Executive has said that the hoist systems were designed to be used with the help of a carer, and there was no chance of Powell being able to call for help.
It is believed Mr Powell had dropped the control panel and the emergency release button failed. Mr Powell had become inverted and eventually suffocated. A post mortem revealed he had died of positional asphyxia and alcohol intoxication.
The hoist had been found to have a faulty emergency button and was one month overdue for it’s service.
The coroners report declared the death as accidental.
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