Dad dies walking home from pub after storm blows over safety railings around open manhole

Retired NHS caregiver Andrew Barker was recovered dormant successful a manhole which had been dug by state engineers days aft Storm Isha ravaged Britain, with a tract idiosyncratic spotting a "pair of legs" sticking out

A father-of-two died aft falling caput archetypal down a manhole portion walking backmost from the pub aft information barriers were blown implicit during a storm, an inquest heard.

Retired NHS caregiver Andrew Barker, 56, was recovered dormant successful the hole, which had been dug by state engineers, successful January. An inquest into his decease heard a idiosyncratic astatine the tract noticed "a brace of legs" sticking retired of the spread successful Bradford, West Yorkshire, astatine 7am connected Monday, January 22.

Bradford Coroners Court heard information barriers astir the roadworks had been blown everyplace and the manhole was uncovered. Paramedics tried to dainty Andrew but determination were nary signs of beingness and helium was pronounced dormant astatine 7.29am.

Storm Isha had ravaged Britain the play earlier and an amber weather informing for upwind was enactment successful spot by the Met Office. Matthew Deekes, who managed the tract connected behalf of subcontractors, said the barriers were successful spot with sandbags erstwhile helium near enactment astatine 4pm connected the Friday.

The tribunal heard further enactment teams were enactment successful spot for Northern Gas Networks' sites successful Bradford crossed that weekend, successful anticipation of the storm. The teams utilized astir 40 other sandbags connected Sunday evening, aft adjacent much were added earlier, the tribunal heard.

Detective Sergeant Lee Worsnam from West Yorkshire Police told the tribunal nary CCTV oregon eyewitnesses, were found. He hypothesised that Andrew could person been trying to instrumentality a shortcut location betwixt the barriers and a plot wall.

The tribunal besides heard different theories that helium whitethorn person tripped implicit a tuft of writer oregon the barriers if they were down. But determination was nary grounds to find whether the barriers were up decently oregon not erstwhile Andrew passed the hole.

Coroner Martin Fleming said determination "could person been immoderate fig of combinations that caused him to precipitate into this manhole." A post-mortem revealed Andrew's respiratory relation was impaired owed to the presumption helium was successful and that his decease was "immediate".

A toxicology study showed helium had 125 microgrammes of intoxicant successful 100 millilitres of blood, somewhat supra the portion thrust bounds of 80mcg. A pathologist besides recovered a "level of intoxicant which could play a portion successful impairing judgement." The post-mortem concluded that Andrew died from postural asphyxiation and intoxicant intoxication.

But Mr Fleming made it wide that Andrew was not "substantially implicit the limit". Fraser Anderson, who had been drinking with Andrew, said helium was "fresh" erstwhile leaving his location but not "wobbling" and "didn't look drunk". Andrew had been successful his section pub, the Boars Head, erstwhile Mr Anderson wandered successful astatine 10pm connected Sunday, January 21.

He said astatine midnight, the brace decided to caput backmost to Mr Anderson's house, conscionable down from the pub, to drink, chat and perceive to music. The tribunal heard they had a mates of drinks astatine the location and a solid of whisky earlier Andrew said "something similar 'I'm off'" betwixt 2am and 2.30am. Andrew qualified arsenic a caregiver successful 1989 and began moving connected Ward 10 astatine Bradford Royal Infirmary.

A household statement, from ex-wife Sam and daughters Holly and Hannah, said that patients "loved his bedside manner" and often "didn't privation to permission you and spell home." The household had "many blessed memories" with Andrew who they said "was a joker and loved to marque radical laugh."

He was described arsenic being "mischievous", "intelligent" and "scarily quick-witted" and a stalwart successful the community. Steven, Andrew's younger member by 18 months and lone sibling, said his decease has had "a monolithic interaction connected the household but besides many, galore friends."