Drunk builder died from asphyxia in lavatory fall

A man who had been drinking died when he fell over while using the lavatory and his neck landed on the rim of a bath, cutting off his oxygen supply, an inquest heard.

Paul Cook, 45, a builder, was four times over the drink-drive limit when he landed on the bath and could not lift himself up, Crispin Butler, the coroner yesterday heard.

Mr Cook was found by his friend Paul Nash in Stokenchurch, Bucks, with his neck on the rim of the tub, causing “positional asphyxia”. He was visiting from Switzerland, where he lived with his wife Lucy. Mr Butler said: “The death was not due to alcohol, it was accidental.”