Woman killed by malfunctioning ottoman bed | CNN

A 39-year-old woman from the UK lost her life when an ottoman bed that wasn't working properly collapsed on her neck, causing her to suffocate, according to a coroner's report.

Helen Davey, a beauty salon owner from northeastern England, passed away in June. According to a report by coroner Jeremy Chipperfield, she died while bending over the storage space of an Ottoman-style 'gas-lift' bed. The report was made public last week.

Ottoman beds feature a liftable base, typically operated with gas-lift hydraulics, which reveals a storage area beneath. They are a favored option for homeowners looking to conveniently store bedding or off-season clothing out of view.

Davey's mattress support unexpectedly gave way, pinning her neck against the top edge of the bed’s base, as Chipperfield described. She couldn't escape and ultimately succumbed to positional asphyxia. It turned out that one of the two gas-lift pistons was faulty.

According to a statement presented in court and covered by the local newspaper The Northern Echo, Davey was discovered by her daughter, Elizabeth.

"I went upstairs, and my mom's bedroom door was fully open. I saw her lying on her back, with her head positioned underneath the bed," Elizabeth testified in court.

Her legs were positioned as though she was attempting to rise. I let go of everything in my hands and made an effort to move the bed off her head. The bed no longer had a gentle grip and could crash down if I let go. It was incredibly difficult for me to raise it and pull her free. However, I succeeded in lifting it just enough to use my foot for support.

"I saw that her face had a bluish tint and there was a visible mark on her neck from the frame. I managed to move her away from it. I was really worried that she might be dead since she wasn't making any noise. I began performing CPR and realized she wasn’t breathing," she recalled.

Chipperfield expressed in a letter to Jonathan Reynolds, the UK's business secretary, that there could be a risk of fatalities in the future “if steps aren’t taken,” pointing out the “presence and operation of gas piston bed mechanisms whose malfunction poses a threat to safety,” calling it a “serious issue.”

According to UK law, coroners are required to notify the appropriate organization or government body if they believe that measures should be implemented to avoid future fatalities.