Tragic death of Wigan dad injured after fall during a night out

Kevin Green, who lived in Hindley Green, died after a “tragic accident” which no-one saw, Bolton Coroner’s Court heard.

Consideration was given as to whether the 42-year-old had been assaulted, but coroner Alan Walsh believed it was more likely he had fallen or stumbled into street furniture.

Mr Green, who worked as a steel wire cable engineer, went drinking in Westhoughton with colleagues on the afternoon of February 25.

His friend and employer Craig Richardson said Mr Green drank eight to 10 pints of San Miguel lager.

He left the pub with Mr Richardson and a colleague’s friend Liam Bourton shortly after 10.10pm and they walked a short distance, before stopping on a corner to chat.

Mr Green approached a parked car with two men inside. Mr Bourton said he saw him leaning on the car door speaking to the men, but there was no altercation and no-one got out of the car.

Mr Bourton left and Mr Green walked to Mr Richardson’s car with him, but then walked off.

CCTV footage showed him returning to the pub alone, where staff refused to serve him, so he left shortly afterwards “unsteady on his feet”.

Mr Richardson told the inquest he was driving home when he saw Mr Green and pulled over so he could get in the car.

Mr Green had his right hand up to his face and had a small amount of blood on his hand as if he had scratched it, but he told Mr Richardson he was okay.

Mr Richardson said: “He just looked as if he wasn’t right to me.”

Mr Green arrived home shortly before 11pm and went to his bedroom.

His parents heard him snoring at 9am the following day when they left to go on holiday.

But when his sister Joanne Green was unable to contact him throughout the day, she went to the house and found him unresponsive on the floor.

An ambulance was called, but he was pronounced dead.

Pathologist Dr Stephen Wells carried out a post-mortem examination and found Mr Green had a “blunt impact” chest injury, as well as superficial injuries to his head and hand.

His medical cause of death was recorded as mediastinal haemorrhage due to anterior chest trauma.

Dr Well said: “I can’t exclude him being involved in some sort of fight, but I think the injuries to the head, on the balance of probabilities, are more consistent with him having had a fall.”

Analysis found Mr Green had 25mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood – below the legal driving limit of 80mg – which suggested he had died several hours after his last drink, the court heard.

Det Insp Jonathan Waywell said a police investigation had not found any suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Green’s death.

Concluding Mr Green’s death was accidental, Prof Dr Walsh said: “From all the evidence before me, I accept that there is no evidence of anything suspicious in Kev’s death and I accept, on the balance of probabilities, it is likely these injuries were as a consequence of a fall or a collision with street furniture or something in the area where he walked.”