Pensioner's crash injuries 50 years ago played part in him choking to death on Christmas Day lunch

Former civil servant Brian Marshall, 72, had repeatedly choked on food due to damaging his throat in a head-on crash with a lorry while he was on a motorbike when he was 19 in 1967.

Portsmouth Coroner’s Court heard his sister Mary Hemley, 68, from Cowplain, said he was usually able to ‘rectify’ this himself.

He underwent repeated treatment due to tracheal stenosis – a narrowing of his airway – following the crash, with scar tissue removed in 2005 and a tracheostomy causing and abnormal trachea and epiglottis.

Last December as his family tucked into a lamb and beef dinner at his nephew Neil’s flat in Steep Close, Leigh Park, he began to choke again - passing out as family members scrambled to give aid and call 999.

As reported in January, his nephew Neil, 41, whose flat they were in, slapped his back repeatedly to try and dislodge anything blocking his throat, before then beginning CPR.

Yesterday coroner Jason Pegg told the inquest a post-mortem report by Dr Adnan Al-Badri said: ‘There was a large piece of white meat across the larynx.’

Giving his conclusion, Mr Pegg ruled he died by misadventure, with choking the primary cause. Stenosis, COPD and hypertension were contributory factors.

Speaking to The News after the inquest ruling, former Queen Alexandra Hospital nurse and midwife Mary said: ‘(After the 1967 crash) he was in hospital for 24 weeks. He didn’t come home until he was nearly 21 – it was quite horrific.

‘He diced with death then and of course it caught him this time. It was awful.’

Mary was left immobile due to disability at the dining table while her full-time carer son Neil leapt into action.

‘I hope I haven’t got any enemies but I wouldn’t wish it one my worst enemy,’ she said. ‘What we had to witness that day was horrific.

‘I take my hat off to the paramedics, they were brilliant. They just came in and took over. They had a hard task as Brian had a tracheotomy years ago.’

Concluding, Mr Pegg said: ‘Mr Marshall had sat down for his Christmas meal that day. He clearly had some alcohol but not an excess amount.

‘There came a time when he consumed a piece of meat and it was a piece that became stuck in his throat causing him to lose consciousness.’

The inquest heard newly-qualified paramedic James Charman partially successfully intubated Mr Marshall after fearing difficulty due to his spinal curvature and narrowed airway.

Team leader paramedic Vikki Hedges said the scene ‘appeared disorganised’, and told her colleague Britney Jones to ‘run this better’ which she then did. Ms Hedges also told her junior colleague Mr Charman the intubation was ‘taking too long’.

She said it was a ‘very rare’ procedure for paramedics and she had not done one on a patient. It was Mr Charman’s first time outside of training.

Giving evidence today, Ms Hedges said she spotted the oxygen machine ‘next to the airway had not been switched on’ two minutes after the intubation procedure.

The coroner said: ‘Sadly due to the lack of oxygen received by Mr Marshall, I do find that in part Mr Marshall did not receive sufficient oxygen as the oxygen not being turned on when it should have been.’

Earlier in the inquest, paramedic Mr Charman said the GPS system did not recognise the address so his crew arrived at a dead-end road ‘next to the block of flats but with no access.’

This was a minute’s delay, he said, with another two-minute delay at the security door at the flats.

Mr Charman said: ‘He was lying on his back on the floor and was unresponsive and showed no sign of any respiratory activity.’

His sister told The News she knew he was dead before paramedics arrived.

As reported, Mr Marshall was saved from a fire at his bungalow in Lavender Road, Waterlooville, in July 2019 by a carer passing his home.

A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (Scas), said: ‘Following today’s inquest, the trust welcomes the coroner’s conclusion and that there were no issues in relation to the care provided by Scas to Mr Marshall.

‘Scas has a clinical review group, led by the medical director, that continually reviews and updates the trust’s clinical training in line with best practice and national guidance. The trust hopes the conclusion brings some degree of comfort and closure to Mr Marshall’s family, to whom we again offer our sincere condolences.’

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