Motorcycle enthusiast mistook bike cleaner for soft drink

A MOTORCYCLE enthusiast died after drinking a cleaning product he mistook for a soft drink.

Langdon Wayne Doidge, 59, died on August 27 this year after accidentally drinking what he thought was a soft drink after a night out.

An inquest held on Thursday at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court was told Mr Doidge kept a diluted alkaline solution – called Beer Line cleaner – in his fridge in order to clean parts of his motorcycle.

But after a night out it’s believed he returned to his home in Cardiff Bay, where he lived alone, and accidentally mistook the product for a bottle of Ribena.

The inquest heard Mr Doidge owned various hotels in Cardiff including the Langdons Hotel in Roath.

A statement was read on behalf of his son, Lewis Doidge, who last saw his father the day before he was taken to hospital.

Mr Doidge explained he answered a call from the UHW on August 8 and was told his father had been admitted to hospital.

At the hearing Mr Doidge was asked some questions about his father’s daily routine. He said his father would usually have been “plodding around the house”.

The inquest also heard he would usually visit the pub at around 4pm each day.

Giving evidence at the hearing, Mr Doidge said: “He usually comes home at 2am but if he goes into town he would stay out. He loved to go out.

“He was usually up by around 6am or 6.30am if he wanted to go to work that day.”

The inquest was told Langdon Doidge called the Welsh Ambulance Service twice on the morning of August 8.

He initially called at 4.02am and then called later at 4.46am after an ambulance had failed to turn up.

A clinician later called him back at 4.50am to confirm a taxi had been arranged to collect him and take him to the hospital. The inquest heard a taxi was dispatched at around 5am.

Lewis Doidge said: “My father would bring cleaning products from work home. I use it to clean metal.

“He then went on to clean the motorbike with it but you’re meant to keep it in a cool place otherwise the reaction process doesn’t work.”

Following the incident motorcycle parts were found on the kitchen worktop at the home of Mr Doidge. A glass was also discovered that contained purple residue.

A statement from Police Constable Kerry Thomas Young described what officers found in Langdon Doidge’s fridge when they visited his home in the aftermath of his death.

“There was an opened bottle of Ribena cordial alongside another Robinson’s bottle,” said PC Young.

The inquest heard Lewis Doidge would often give his father a lift in the mornings if he wanted to go to work.

He would travel from his home in Roath to collect his father and the journey would usually take around 20 minutes. But he explained it was unusual for him to call at other times.

“He never called me,” he added. “Even when he was out drinking – never in my life. It was only if he wanted to go to work in the morning.

“I understand if you’re in that sort of state I suppose you would ring an ambulance. If I was in trouble I would ring an ambulance.”

The family of Mr Doidge raised concerns about the length of time the Welsh Ambulance Service took to arrive at the property.

The inquest heard the reason a taxi was booked to take him to hospital was because the other ambulance vehicles were already in use.

When Mr Doidge called a second time Welsh Ambulance Service worker Sarah Woods realised he needed to be taken to hospital as his symptoms seemed to have worsened.

Giving evidence at the hearing she said: “When I did speak to Mr Doidge he was breathing and talking.

“Before I returned the call I didn’t know what the alkaline was so I had to research what it was to assess what treatment was required.

“He didn’t complain that he had problems breathing. He did say he had been vomiting and bringing some blood up.

“I was certain he needed to be brought into hospital.”

Even though there was a delay the inquest heard it was unlikely to have had an impact on his death.

Mr Doidge died in hospital later that month.

Coroner Sarah Richards concluded Mr Doidge’s death was a result of misadventure.

She said: “Mr Langdon Wayne Doidge was a motorcycle enthusiast who inhaled alkaline associated with cleaning products.

“He returned home after an evening of drinking and drank the alkaline after mistaking it for a soft drink.

“He was admitted to hospital but sustained multi-organ failure and died of his injuries.”

MRI scanners, prosthetic breasts for cancer patients and improvements to hip replacements have been cited among the best innovations in health by universities in the UK.

Health featured heavily on the University UK’s (UUK) list of major breakthroughs that have had a transformative impact on people’s lives.

MRI scans were

developed at the University of Nottingham in the 1970s.

Sir Peter Mansfield, who led the team, became the first person to be scanned by the machine.

More than 40 years later, the invention is still used by doctors in more than 60 million clinical examinations each year, according to UUK.

Researchers at Cardiff

Metropolitan University have worked with the NHS for more than 20 years to develop bespoke prosthetic breasts for women who have undergone a mastectomy.

The project aims to reduce the psychological impact on patients and aid their rehabilitation.

The University of Exeter’s submission was an innovation in hip

replacement operations.

Professor Robin Ling and Dr Clive Lee, both from the university, developed an implant that can be securely fixed to the skeleton.

The first “Exeter Hip” operation, as it came to be known, was carried out in 1970.

More than 100,000 Exeter Hips are now implanted each year, according to UUK.