Woman dies after getting trapped in ottoman bed, coroner says

(Gray News) - A woman in the UK passed away when an ottoman bed collapsed and pinned her down, as reported by a coroner.

Helen Davey, 39, was bent over the bed's storage space when the mattress base suddenly collapsed, catching her neck in the process.

Ottoman beds feature a liftable base that allows you to reach a storage area below. This base is typically elevated using gas-lift hydraulics.

According to The Northern Echo, Davey’s daughter Elizabeth reported discovering her mother after returning home from getting her hair done.

Elizabeth shared with the court that when she went upstairs, she discovered her mother “lying on her back with her head underneath the bed,” and her legs were positioned as if she had attempted to stand up.

Elizabeth mentioned that she attempted to raise the head of the bed off her mother, but the bed was no longer able to close gently and could easily tip over.

"It was really difficult for me to pick it up and attempt to pull her out," she explained.

Elizabeth mentioned that Davey's face had turned blue and that there was a mark on her neck from the frame.

Elizabeth observed that her mother had stopped breathing and immediately began performing CPR until the paramedics got there.

Emergency responders tried to revive her, but according to The Northern Echo, Davey was declared dead at the location.

Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield stated that Davey passed away due to "positional asphyxia." The cause of her death was also deemed accidental.

He mentioned that the bed likely held Davey down, causing her to end up lying on her back while she was trying to rise.

Chipperfield indicated that one of the two gas-lift pistons on the bed was not functioning properly.

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