Mum killed after becoming trapped and suffocated by her ottoman bed
A mum who suffocated to death in her faulty ottoman bead was found dead by her teenage daughter, an inquest has heard.
Helen Davey, 39, died after the faulty bed collapsed on her head and she became trapped between the mattress and the base of the bed.
Her teenage daughter Elizabeth, aged 19, made the horrific discovery at their home in Seaham, County Durham, on June 7.
During an inquest into Helen’s death it emerged that one of the gas pistons which raised the mattress was defective – and a coroner has now warned there is a risk of further deaths unless action is taken.
Helen ran a beauty business, called All Dolled Up, from her home, and she also had a son, 11-year-old George.
In his report following the inquest, senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said: ‘The deceased was leaning over the storage area of an ottoman-styled “gas-lift bed” when the mattress platform descended unexpectedly, trapping her neck against the upper surface of the side panel of the bed’s base.
‘Unable to free herself, she died of positional asphyxia.’
The coroner added that it was his duty to raise his concerns with the Office for Product Standard sabout ‘the existence and use of gas piston bed mechanisms whose failure presents risk to life’.
Elizabeth, also known as Betty, didn’t want to comment when approached by MailOnline, but in a public tribute to her mum shared on Facebook she described her mum as ‘mine and George’s best friend from day one’.
She added: ‘I can’t even begin to process that it’s real and your (sic) not just going to walk through the door.
‘Mine and George’s best friend from day one, I will always wish we had more time together and that you were still by our side supporting us through everything as always.
‘I hope you know how much I love you and that I’d do anything for one more cuddle. Until we meet again my angel.’
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