Woman was fatally impaled by metal straw

A British woman was impaled by a metal straw after falling at her home, a coroner said in an inquest this week that highlighted the potential dangers of metal straws. Such straws have surged in popularity as cities, states and even countries have banned single-use plastic straws.

The woman, Elena Struthers-Gardner, 60, who had a disability, fell and sustained a traumatic brain injury in November when the 10-inch straw pierced her eye, according to the coroner’s report, which was released Monday.

“As a consequence of the fall, a stainless steel straw that was in a glass Kilner-style cup Mrs. Struthers-Gardner was carrying penetrated her left eye,” the report said, referring to a glass jar similar to a Mason jar that often has a lid. It called her death an accident.

The report, released in Bournemouth, about two hours southwest of London, said that she fell at her home on Nov. 22, and was taken to Southampton General Hospital, where she died the next day.

Struthers-Gardner’s wife, Mandy, said in a statement read at the inquest that her partner had been a former jockey and was prone to falls after a horseback riding injury when she was 21. She had scoliosis — a curvature of the spine — and had dealt with substance abuse issues, her wife said.

Struthers-Gardner’s wife did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

A British straw ban will go into effect in April, but the worldwide environmental push against singleuse straws has encountered opposition from some caregivers and advocates for people with disabilities. They have voiced worries about the safety of rigid straws and the overall availability of straws for people who are unable to drink without them.