A man who had just received life-saving heart surgery died after falling 18ft to his death from a hospital fire escape.

Glazier Alan Thomson, 40, underwent major surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford last July.

But an inquest heard yesterday that six days after the operation he was found with fatal head injuries after falling from a spiral staircase outside his ward.

Oxford coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing that Mr Thompson, from Elgin, Scotland, had apparently left the ward during the night to get some fresh air.

The inquest was told that he left the building through a fire escape which led on to a metal spiral staircase.

Shortly after he went missing, staff raised the alarm and he was found lying on the ground outside. Staff nurse Graham Ransom said Mr Thomson was about to be asked for a blood sample when staff saw he was missing.

A search was mounted and a few minutes later he was found near the bottom of the fire escape.

The inquest heard he could not be revived and died later that day from his injuries.

Dr Barbara Borek, a forensic pathologist, said Mr Thomson had been recovering satisfactorily from the operation.

Story date: Thursday 11 March

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