INQUEST: Blackpool dad sustained ‘unsurvivable’ injuries during fall from garage roof

Doctors removed part of a man’s skull in an attempt to save his life after he suffered severe head injuries in a fall.
Blackpool Town HallBlackpool Town Hall
Blackpool Town Hall

The inquest into the death of Christopher Bevan, 53, of Alderley Avenue, began yesterday at Blackpool Town Hall.

On August 14, 2018, Mr Bevan, a self-employed builder, had been working on ther roof of a garage on Holmfield Road, North Shore, with his son Nicholas when he fell 6ft, hitting the back of his head on the cobblestone ground, at around 3.30pm. He was conscious, but agitated and confused following the fall, according to senior paramedic Wayne Pemberton.

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He was taken to Royal Preston Hospital, where a CT scan revealed a severe brain injury and swelling.

Doctors performed a craniotomy, an operation to remove part of the skull, to relieve the pressure on Mr Bevan’s brain.

However, his injuries were noted to be unsurvivable, and he died at 6.40pm on August 15.

Professor Timothy Dawson, of Royal Preston Hospital, who carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr Bevan, said the dad-of-two had 300g of extra weight on his brain compared to a normal adult male brain when he died, and 72ml of blood on his left frontal hemesphere.

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He said: “That’s a significant amount. Over 50ml of blood over a surface of brain, in an enclosed skull, is usually fatal.

“There were a lot of factors here against his survival.”

He said he could find no evidence of a stroke or other medical issue that could have caused Mr Bevan to fall from the roof.

(Proceeding)