Eastbourne man died on Christmas Eve after a fall

Ivan Luck passed away at St Wilfrid’s Hospice on December 24 last year, an inquest heard.

The inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday (May 20), heard Mr Luck, a retired railway signalman, was admitted to the DGH on December 11 after falling a couple of days earlier.

A statement from Mr Luck’s daughter Arvil Vegh, said the fall happened on December 9, but he hadn’t hit his head. However, she did tell the inquest he’d fallen a couple of weeks prior, and had hit his head on that occasion which is when the bleed may have started.

Dr Umesh Dashora said a CT scan was carried out on December 11 which revealed a subdural haematoma – a bleed on the brain associated with a traumatic brain injury.

The inquest heard Mr Luck had a number of underlying health conditions and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in January 2019.

Mr Luck deteriorated in hospital and an end of life care plan was started on December 22, Dr Dashora said.

He was discharged from hospital on December 23, where he was moved to St Wilfrid’s Hospice. Mr Luck passed away the following day.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze ruled Mr Luck’s death was accidental.