A baby girl was delivered alive just 30 minutes after her mother died in a horrifying 90ft fall from a tower block, an inquest heard.
Fatal Fall from Ninth Floor
Pregnant Emma Atkinson, 38, plunged from the ninth floor of Shakespeare Towers in Burmantofts, Leeds, on October 22, 2024, while visiting her father. Her baby, named Posie, was born half an hour later in hospital, but Emma could not be saved after suffering “catastrophic and unsurvivable injuries.”
Giving evidence to Wakefield Coroner’s Court, her father David said Emma had been sitting by the living-room window and asked for a cigarette. He told the hearing: “Emma asked for cigarettes and sat on the back of the chair. She began to smoke and asked how to open the window.”
Events Leading to the Fall
He said she unhooked the safety catches and opened it fully, telling him she was “just getting some air.” Moments later, she went headfirst out of the window after saying: “I’m off,” according to his written statement.
West Yorkshire Police analysed CCTV of the fall and said she did not appear visually distressed as she fell. The inquest heard Emma, a mother of five, had been under severe stress. She had been struggling with her mental health, terrified she would be sent to prison after missing a court date linked to a shoplifting charge. But her family insisted she had plenty to live for and was looking forward to her baby’s arrival.
Family's Devastation
They said she was also excited by “the impending birth of her daughter, and the gender reveal for her grandchild.” Her daughter Demi told the court she did not believe her mum would have taken her own life, saying: “She was an absolutely incredible mum.”
David echoed that devastation, saying: “She was not just a good mum, but a fantastic mum, and everything she did was for her children. They are all understandably devastated and the family don’t understand why she did what she did.”
Emergency Delivery and Aftermath
Paramedics performed CPR at the scene and continued as they rushed Emma to Leeds General Infirmary in a desperate bid to save her unborn child. The baby was delivered by emergency Caesarean section in under a minute after arrival – around 30 minutes after Emma’s death.
The little girl suffered a punctured lung and a fractured tibia, spending weeks in intensive care. Doctors later described her recovery as “miraculous.”
Coroner's Conclusion
The coroner concluded Emma “deliberately propelled herself” from the window, but returned an open narrative verdict, saying her exact intention could not be proven.
