An inquest has revealed that an 85-year-old pensioner tragically choked to death on a piece of meat during a family meal at a Wolverhampton carvery. Keith Foster, a widower, was dining with his son at The Newbridge on Tettenhall Road when he began to struggle with swallowing.
Attempts to save him
Mr Foster started to dribble and turned pale. Staff rushed to his aid and attempted abdominal thrusts and back slaps, but these measures were unsuccessful. An air ambulance crew later used forceps to remove the meat from his throat, but sadly, Mr Foster passed away.
The inquest at Black Country Coroner's Court heard that Mr Foster and his son were enjoying their meal on Thursday, July 2. When it became clear he was choking, staff tried to help, but by the time paramedics arrived, Mr Foster was at the back of the pub near the carvery table. He was pale, had blue lips, and was in cardiac arrest.
Air ambulance response
Advanced life support was being administered by paramedics when the Midlands Air Ambulance arrived. Area Coroner Joanne Lees stated: "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."
Despite all efforts, Mr Foster, who was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the pub. A post mortem revealed the cause of death was asphyxia due to choking on food, with contributing factors of old age and ischemic heart disease.
Family's account
In a statement, Mr Foster's son described his father as an 'independent' man who was 'still driving' and had lived alone since his wife passed away. He confirmed that while his father 'did have medical problems', there were 'no specific swallowing issues'.
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." She noted that 'although it's clear that a foreign body was extracted from Mr Foster's airways', 'no obstruction' was discovered during the post mortem.
Mrs Lees concluded that she was satisfied Mr Foster died as an 'unintended consequence' of an 'ordinary activity' and recorded a verdict of accidental death on Wednesday, July 29.
