A man in his 60s died after suffering catastrophic head injuries when he fell from a ladder while tying a Union flag to a lamppost, an inquest has heard.
Paul John Lumber, 61, a married painter and decorator from Bristol, was fatally injured on the evening of 22 November after returning home from a football match where he had consumed alcohol.
Avon Coroner’s Court was told that Mr Lumber arrived back at his home in Duckmoor Road at around 7.30pm before taking a ladder from his van and going back out to put flags on nearby lampposts. Neighbours later contacted emergency services after hearing a loud bang and finding him lying on the ground with his ladder beside him.
Paramedics took Mr Lumber to Southmead Hospital, where scans revealed extensive head injuries, including a fractured skull. Despite undergoing two operations, his condition deteriorated and he died on 6 December.
Dr Richard Moon, from the neurosurgery department at Southmead Hospital, told the court that Mr Lumber had sustained severe traumatic brain injuries consistent with a fall from height.
Coroner’s officer Andrew Eastwood said he had spoken to Mr Lumber’s wife, Michelle, who explained that her husband had been watching Bristol City play football earlier that day and had consumed several alcoholic drinks. After returning home, he took the key to his van, where he kept his work ladder, and went out again.
Mrs Lumber later heard emergency sirens and went outside to find her husband being treated by paramedics across the road. A ladder was found nearby and a Union flag had already been attached to a lamppost.
Dr Simon Fox KC, assistant coroner for Avon, concluded that Mr Lumber’s death was accidental. He said Mr Lumber had “fallen from a ladder while tying a Union Jack flag to a lamppost at night after consuming alcohol”.
Mr Lumber was described as a well-known Bristol City supporter and the author of two books, It All Kicked Off In Bristol, which documented his experiences of football hooliganism.
The official cause of death was recorded as traumatic brain injury resulting from a fall.
