Blackpool man, 59, died in his sleep after husband couldn't wake him from nap, coroner told
Gary Cross, 59, couldn’t be woken by his husband, who had heard him snoring earlier and called the ambulance service when he couldn’t rouse him.
A Blackpool man with a history of alcohol abuse died while taking an afternoon sleep at his home.
Gary Cross, 59, couldn’t be woken by his husband, who had heard him snoring earlier and called the ambulance service when he couldn’t rouse him.
An inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard that Mr Cross, of Easington Crescent, had a history of alcohol abuse and had sought help from alcohol addiction services.
He had given up alcohol for 14 weeks last year but had started drinking again just before Christmas.
On the morning of his death, in February this year, he had started drinking whisky early, and when his husband returned from a local shopping trip he found him sleeping in an armchair, hearing him snoring.
Later in the afternoon, the snoring stopped and Mr Cross couldn’t be roused. Paramedics were called and he was pronounced dead.
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A post mortem found Mr Cross’s cause of death to be alcohol toxicity combined with a fatty liver.
A toxicology examination found the alcohol level in his blood to be 451 mg per 100 ml of blood - more than five times the drink driving limit.
Blackpool and Fylde senior coroner Alan Wilson said a potentially fatal level was considered to be between 250 and 400 mg.
Mr Wilson returned a conclusion of an alcohol-related death and offered his condolences to Mr Cross’ husband.