Man sat down to eat a sandwich - and was dead in minutes
Man sat down to eat a sandwich - and was dead in minutes
Lee Eddleston, 55, had been out with friends at the Rishton Workmens Club the evening before he died, an inquest heard
Lee Eddleston (right) with a friend.
A beloved father of four tragically died just moments after sitting down to enjoy a sandwich and a yoghurt, an inquest was told.
Lee Eddleston, affectionately known as Eggy, had spent the evening at Rishton Workmens Club on Thursday, January 16. After a night out with mates, including his flatmate Andrew Aspinall, Lee, aged 55, returned to his residence on High Street.
Andrew, who lingered at the club for a while longer, came back to find Lee lying on his back in the kitchen, already cold to the touch, leading him to the heart-wrenching realisation that his friend had passed away. Paramedics later confirmed Lee's death upon 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 well-regarded figure in both Rishton and Blackburn. His mate Andrew described him as "a lovely lad".
In his statement, Andrew recounted: "We tended to leave the door unlocked for each other. When I got home the door was unlocked.", reports Lancs Live.
"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."
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The post-mortem examination concluded that Lee succumbed to aspirational pneumonia, which Assistant Coroner Sian Jones clarified means "in layman's terms, he choked on his own vomit".
Lee, who was "profoundly intoxicated" according to pathologist Dr Neil Papworth, had become more susceptible to aspirating the contents of his stomach. Shortly after beginning his sandwich, Lee likely vomited, with some ingredients found in his lungs post-mortem.
Despite a high blood alcohol level of 195mcg - more than double the drink-driving limit which stands at 80mcg for context - Dr Papworth noted that this figure did "not within the range encountered in deaths caused by alcohol alone".
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The coroner recorded an alcohol-related death, citing: "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 Lee's tragic passing, his friends established a Facebook page for sharing cherished recollections. Gen Wild shared a kind tribute: "He had a heart of gold and a brilliant personality."
Andy Holmes also posted a heartfelt remembrance: "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."
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"At all material times our client believed that it was permitted to use the logos of publications/broadcasters with whom it had advertising agreements," said the solicitors, who added that an internal investigation was underway to check this was correct. Even if there had been permission, wouldn't the logos have risked misleading people that there'd been positive coverage from the news outlets, rather than just advertising? Physical Nutrition did not respond to this question. O'Connell denied being aware of the logos' use. What action is being taken? The ASA told us there appeared to be "ongoing problems" with Physical Nutrition's ads. The matter has been passed to the watchdog's compliance team for "follow-up enforcement action", it said. "Compliance are still actively working with the advertiser in relation to their non-compliant advertising and will decide to take firmer action should that not result in this advertiser making the required amendments," said the ASA's spokesman. 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The lawyers representing Dr O'Connell said: "Our client is clear that he has recently been working as a regular NHS locum GP and fully intends to continue to work as a GP when locum work is available." Asked if he would continue working with Physical Nutrition, his lawyers said the relationship "will be kept under review, as it has been until now (and as with any professional relationship)". Article continues below At the time of writing, Physical Nutrition's Facebook page is not visible because it has been reviewing its marketing since we raised concerns, its lawyers said. A spokesman for Physical Nutrition said: "Gluco Support, Activ8, and Perform + Protect, as with all of our supplements, were formulated off the back of an extensive body of research from world-leading biomedical scientists, academics, and researchers at some of the world's most prestigious institutions." If you know of a story we should be investigating, email us at
