Blackpool man, 61, tragically found dead days after calling 999 as paramedics were unable to find him

A man found dead in a Blackpool flat had made a frantic call for medical assistance some days earlier after claiming to have swallowed a quantity of cocaine but paramedics were unable to locate him.

An inquest into the death of Andres Gomez, 61, heard that he had made an initial call to the 111 medical service on July 10 last year, claiming he had swallowed 5kg of cocaine in bags and was advised to go to the emergency department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

He was referred to the Fylde Coast Medical out-of-hours GP service for a follow-up check and the following day, a doctor from there made contact with 111 saying he had been unable to make contact with Mr Gomez despite several attempts.

Between those calls, in the early hours of July 11, a man believed to have been Mr Gomez based on the phone number used, made a call to 999 in an increasingly distressed state saying he urgently needed medical help.

The caller did not give his name or location and the line then went silent.

The inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard that an attempt was made to find where the call was made from via triangulation and a rapid response paramedic tried several addresses based on that information without success.

After the call from the Fylde Medical Services doctor, a welfare check was initiated and Mr Gomez’s body was found several days later at a flat in Sherbourne Road, close to where the triangulation had directed.

Det Insp Andy Gilmour told the inquest that police were informed Mr Gomez had not been seen for a week.

The flat was said to be in a poor state with drug paraphernalia visible but DI Gilmour confirmed there was no evidence of violence or third party involvement.

At a post-mortem, Mr Gomez’s cause of death was found to be combined toxicity of cannabis and alcohol with underlying medical issues, which had included coronary artery disease and diabetes.

Assistant Blackpool and Fylde coroner Louise Rae said that the evidence suggested that Mr Gomez had died in the early hours of July 11, around the time the call to 999 was made.

Ms Rae returned a narrative conclusion that Mr Gomez died as a consequence of natural disease combined with the combined toxicity of cocaine and alcohol.