Man died after eating fishcake so hot it left him unable to breathe

Case raises questions about care from hospital that sent him home with paracetamol

Darren Hickey died choking less than 12 hours after a fishcake burnt his airways (Neil Parkinson /SWNS.COM)

A man died after sampling a fishcake so hot it burnt his throat and caused him to stop breathing, an inquest has heard.

Darren Hickey’s voice box swelled up over the following 12 hours, eventually causing him to choke.

A coroner said the case raised questions about the care from the hospital that had sent Mr Hickey home with paracetamol.

The 51-year-old wedding planner was given the small fishcake to try by a chef at a wedding venue on 4 April.

It burnt the back of his throat and as the pain grew worse during the afternoon, Mr Hickey visited the urgent care ward at Chorley Hospital, Lancashire.

The inquest into his death heard how he would have had difficulty breathing and swallowing because of the pain and swelling.

Patrick Waugh, a pathologist who performed a post-mortem examination, said the case was very rare, only seen normally in people who have breathed in smoke in house fires, which burns the airways.

“The patient can appear well, they will be talking to you, but then the swelling starts,” he said.

Alan Walsh, the acting senior coroner, heard how Mr Hickey was sent home with painkillers and told to return if the pain got worse.

The damage to his throat was so far down it could not be seen without a specialist procedure, Bolton coroners’ court heard.

Mr Hickey, from Bolton, went to his room to rest after going to hospital. But the swelling worsened and later Neil Parkinson, his partner, found him choking.

“I banged his back but then he slid forward onto the floor,” Mr Parkinson said.

Paramedics treated Mr Hickey and rushed him to the Royal Bolton Hospital but he was pronounced dead just after midnight, less than 12 hours after sampling the fishcake.

The coroner said the case raised questions about the care at the hospital’s urgent care ward, which is run by GTD Healthcare to take pressure away from accident and emergency.

A practitioner had contacted a specialist from the ear, nose and throat unit at Preston Hospital. But because of a lack of burns to Mr Hickey’s mouth and tongue, they were unable to find the damage.

The inquest heard a full review of the incident would be carried out.

Mr Hickey’s cause of death was given as asphyxiation.

Seven years earlier, he had suffered a “catastrophic” stroke that left him with some difficulty walking and speaking.

He channelled much of his energy into charity work and was given a courage award by the Stroke Association.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Walsh said: “I believe there are enormous lessons to be learned.

“This was caused by eating a fishcake, very small and very hot but with catastrophic consequences. I find this an immense tragedy.”

Additional reporting by agencies