A WOMAN died after falling down a flight of stairs at a York pub, an inquest was told.

Carol Jackson tumbled down all 12 stairs at Thomas’s bar in Museum Street and hit a beer barrel at the bottom of the staircase.

Staff tried to help her before paramedics arrived and took her to York Hospital, suffering from severe facial injuries. She was then transferred to Hull Royal Infirmary, where she died a few days later.

York Press:

PC Kevin Goodman, who investigated the tragic accident, showed York coroner Rob Turnbull CCTV camera footage of her fall, which happened on April 4 last year.

He said he could state categorically that no third party was involved in the fall, and he could not see any trip hazard on the stairs, which were ‘quite steep’.

He said Mrs Jackson, who was 64, of Hamilton Road, Scarborough -who had alcohol problems, for which she attended a drug and alcohol recovery service in Scarborough - had been visiting York, where a daughter lived, when she visited the pub on her own.

Staff saw her produce a bottle which appeared to contain vodka and swigged from it. She was ‘quite drunk’ and staff were concerned for her welfare.

A female member of staff sought to assist her as she began to walk down the stairs, with several bags in her left hand and her right hand on a rail, but she then lost her footing and fell head first down the stairs.

She struck a beer barrel which was up against the stairs at the foot of the flight, which was used to display leaflets and other information but which had since been removed.

PC Goodman said the member of staff was ‘quite distraught’ and sought help from the manager, and a 999 call was made. All staff were ‘quite distressed’ when he visited the pub the day after the accident to investigate.

The inquest heard Mrs Jackson suffered head injuries including a haemorrhage and fractures, and the coroner concluded she died as a result of an accident.

Pub owner Kelly Blair said afterwards she wanted to pass on her deepest condolences to Mrs Jackson’s family.

“As one of the people who tried to assist her, with two other members of staff, this has continued to affect us all on a personal level,” she said. “We are, and will continue to be, deeply saddened by the loss to the family.”