An inquest has heard how a pensioner choked to death on a piece of meat during a family meal at a Wolverhampton carvery. Keith Foster, 85, was with his son at The Newbridge, in Tettenhall Road, when he got into difficulty swallowing meat.
What happened at the carvery
Mr Foster started dribbling and turning pale, with staff quickly rushing to his aid in an attempt to clear his airways but failed. Air ambulance crew then used forceps to yank the meat from his throat as attempts continued to save the 85-year-old, but he tragically died.
Black Country Coroner's Court heard how Mr Foster and his son were having a meal together on Thursday, July 2. Mr Foster started drooling and dribbling, and the court heard that he seemed to be struggling with his meal. It became apparent that he was choking, so staff gave him abdominal thrusts and back slaps, but they did not seem to work.
Emergency response and tragic outcome
When paramedics arrived, Mr Foster was at the back of the pub, near the carvery table. The pensioner, who lived in Lauderdale Gardens, Bushbury, was pale, had blue lips and in cardiac arrest. The court heard how advanced life support was being administered by paramedics when Midlands Air Ambulance arrived at the scene.
Area Coroner Joanne Lees said: "The air ambulance reported that forceps were used to clear Mr Foster's airway and what is described as a piece of meat was extracted."
Mr Foster, who was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, could not be resuscitated and was confirmed dead at the pub.
Post mortem and inquest findings
A post mortem established Mr Foster's cause of death as asphyxia caused by choking on food, contributed in part by old age and ischemic heart disease. In a statement, Mr Foster's son said his dad was an independent man who was still driving and had lived alone since the death of his wife. He did have medical problems but no specific swallowing issues, the son said.
Mrs Lees told the court: "The only thing that Mr Foster's son reported to my coroner's officer that he could think of was that Mr Foster did not have many teeth."
Although it's clear that a foreign body was extracted from Mr Foster's airways, no obstruction was found during the post mortem, Mrs Lees added. She said she was satisfied Mr Foster died during an unintended consequence of an ordinary activity and recorded a conclusion of accidental death on Wednesday, July 29.
