THE mother of a man who died after falling down the stairs at his sister’s house is calling for his inquest to be reopened.
Val Morgan and her daughter Sheree said last week the probe into Jason Morgan’s death should be reconsidered because of what they described as “major discrepancies” between some of the details heard at the inquest and what they think may have happened on the night.
Jason, 43, died in January after falling down the stairs at his sister Theresa Morgan-Peters’ home in Ystradgynlais.
The coroner heard he had “yanked” a baby gate, which had given way, and he had tumbled down the stairs. Mr Morgan, a father-of-two, suffered “catastrophic” head injuries and died a week later when his life-support machine was turned off.
The inquest heard Mr Morgan, a keen boxer and weightlifter, had been out celebrating his birthday with friends on the night of the tragic event.
According to witness testimony, Mr Morgan went to use the upstairs bathroom and pulled on the locked baby gate which gave way. The inquest heard there was a crashing sound as “gentle giant” Jason fell backwards into the hallway below. A seven-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in a statement that he found Mr Morgan in a pool of blood.
Meanwhile Val, 67, and daughter Sheree, aged 37, have said they want the inquest to be reopened after they felt the coroner “opened and shut the case” too quickly.
In an interview with the B&R, Val said the fact her son had been drinking at the time of the incident meant police investigating the death and the coroner charged with determining the event, had overlooked what they say is key information.
The grieving mother-of-four said her daughter, whom Jason was staying with after the break-up of his 10-year marriage, had secured the baby gate properly and it had been used “thousands of times” by people in the house so it was unlikely to have given way.
“He’s been up those stairs many a time and had no problem with the gate. [Saying it gave way] puts the blame on my daughter,” said Val. “People are blaming her, saying ‘if she had a secure gate, this wouldn’t have happened’. It’s not the point or the reason [for his death]. The coroner has just opened and shut the case, thinking that Jason has had a drink and that’s the end of the story.”
Val and Sheree both said they may pursue an avenue to reopen the inquest into Jason’s death.
In her evidence to the January hearing, Theresa Morgan-Peters said: “Jason had yanked the baby gate which had become loose.
“We heard a noise and found him at the bottom of the stairs with the gate laying on his chest. He was making snoring noises and there was blood coming from his head.”
It took three people to hoist 18-stone Jason into an ambulance on an inflatable stretcher. He was then airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales where surgeons operated to relieve pressure on his brain, before Jason died in intensive care on January 22.
South Wales Central coroner Andrew Barclay recorded an accidental verdict at the inquest.
He said at the end of the inquest: “Jason tried to negotiate the gate when he was going upstairs.
“The gate has become dislodged and he lost his footing and tumbled down the stairs. He was in a house that was relatively unfamiliar to him and the gate was not secured properly.”