Dad-of-two who died falling head first into manhole after leaving pub was ‘discovered by worker who saw legs poking out’

A DAD who died falling caput archetypal into a manhole was discovered by a idiosyncratic who saw a "pair of legs" poking out, an inquest heard.

Andrew Barker, 56, was making his mode location from the pub erstwhile helium toppled into the hole, which had been dug by gas engineers.

At the clip of the horror successful January, Storm Isha had deed the UK - with beardown winds blowing implicit information barriers astir the roadworks.

The retired NHS caregiver was discovered idiosyncratic astatine the tract astatine noticed "a brace of legs" sticking retired of the hole, an inquest heard.

Tragically, Andrew couldn't beryllium saved and was declared dormant astatine the country successful Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Bradford Coroners Court was told the dad-of-two's decease would person been "immediate" arsenic his respiratory relation was impaired owed to the presumption helium was in.

His origin of decease was fixed arsenic postural asphyxiation and alcohol intoxication.

The inquest was told Andrew had been astatine his section pub earlier heading backmost to a friend's house.

Although helium had been drinking, helium was not "substantially implicit the limit".

At astir 2am, Andrew decided to caput location - with police believing helium whitethorn person tried to instrumentality a shortcut erstwhile helium fell.

Detective Sergeant Lee Worsnam told the tribunal different mentation was that Andrew could person tripped implicit a tuft of writer oregon the barriers if they were down.

But coroner Martin Fleming said determination "could person been immoderate fig of combinations that caused him to precipitate into this manhole".

The tribunal heard an amber weather informing for upwind had been enactment successful spot owed to the storm.

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 Friday.

The tribunal heard further enactment teams were besides enactment successful spot for Northern Gas Networks' sites successful Bradford crossed that weekend.

Around 40 other sandbags had been added to the tract connected Sunday evening earlier the tragic fall.

There was nary grounds to amusement whether the barriers were up decently erstwhile Andrew made his mode home, the tribunal heard.

The coroner concluded Andrew's decease was accidental.

A household statement, from ex-wife Sam and daughters Holly and Hannah, said they 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.