Fall leads to death of retired hairdresser

Barbara Chapman, a retired hairdresser, was waiting for a morning visit by daughter Corinne Elliott when she fell backwards, apparently through lack of balance and hit her head.

When Mrs Elliott arrived soon after her mother complained of a painful wrist.

She was taken by ambulance to the Conquest Hospital where her wrist was examined and she complained her head hurt and that she had a headache.

Her condition deteriorated quickly and she died at the hospital from bronchial pneumonia three days later.

An inquest at Hastings Magistrates Court heard this was caused by a subdural haemmorage resulting from the fall.

Mrs Chapman’s health was described as “frail” and Mrs Elliott told coroner Alan Craze she would visit twice a day to check her mother, and that her daughter also came frequently, who was a carer.

On Thursday March 31 she had called early morning to check on her mother and realised she needed potatoes peeling for lunch.

Mrs Elliott then arrived just after 9am and found her mother on the lounge floor.

Coroner Alan Craze recorded a verdict of accidental death and said: “It was a pure accident.

“The elderly do fall unfortunately. It is so difficult to know what to do - they want to be independent, they want to live by themselves. You can check on them three times a day and it is still not going to prevent something like this happening.”