A beloved father of four tragically passed away just moments after sitting down to enjoy a “butty and a yoghurt”, as revealed at an inquest. Lee Eddleston, affectionately nicknamed Eggy, had spent the evening of Thursday, January 16, at the Rishton Workmens Club. After a night out with mates, including his flatmate Andrew Aspinall, 55 year old Lee returned to his residence on High Street.
Andrew, who lingered at the club longer, later made his way home and discovered Lee lying on his back in the kitchen. Upon touching him, Andrew found that Lee was cold and “realised he was dead”. Paramedics confirmed Lee’s death shortly after their arrival. The inquest, which took place on Monday, June 23, at Preston Coroners’ Court, highlighted that Lee, a father to three daughters and a son, was a popular figure in both Rishton and Blackburn. His friend Andrew described him as “a lovely lad”, reports Lancs Live.
In his statement, Andrew recounted: “We tended to leave the door unlocked for each other. When I got home the door was unlocked. I found Lee lying flat on his back. There was half a butty and a yoghurt left on the table. His skin was cold and I realised Lee was dead.”
The post-mortem examination concluded that Lee succumbed to aspirational pneumonia, which Assistant Coroner Sian Jones clarified meant “in layman’s terms, he choked on his own vomit”.
Pathologist Dr Neil Papworth stated that Lee was “profoundly intoxicated”, which made him more vulnerable to aspirating the contents of his stomach. Not long after beginning his meal, Lee likely vomited, with portions of his sandwich identifiable in his lungs. Though Lee’s blood alcohol concentration was 195mcg, significantly above the drink-driving threshold of 80mcg, it was still “not within the range encountered in deaths caused by alcohol alone”, according to Dr Papworth.
The coroner concluded that the death was alcohol-related and remarked: “The picture is clear of one where Lee had consumed sufficient alcohol to be considered significantly intoxicated to a point where the body’s natural ability to protect itself and its airways were likely to be compromised.”
Following the tragic incident, Lee’s friends created a Facebook page to exchange fond recollections. Gen Wild shared thoughts, saying: “He had a heart of gold and a brilliant personality.” Andy Holmes added a tribute: “Your positive vibes often picked me up when I would read your posts. You would always try your best for others and your positive energy will always be remembered.”