A father of triplets who had been celebrating at a 'lads and dads golfing event' died after falling down the stairs at a luxury Norfolk hotel.
Edward Sidgwick, a 53-year-old finance officer, was at Dunston Hall on the outskirts of Norwich when the tragedy happened earlier this year.
An inquest was held at Norfolk Coroner’s Court this week to examine the moments leading up to his death.
The court, at County Hall in Norwich, heard that Mr Sidgwick - known as “Ted - had spent the evening drinking at the hotel bar and was heavily intoxicated when the fall happened.
CCTV footage showed him, apparently disorientated, taking a lift upstairs even though his room was on the ground floor. He is thought to have fallen as he headed back down looking for his room.
He was found by his loved ones on the stairs and in cardiac arrest at midnight on June 15.
His friends and family tried to resuscitate him before paramedics took over but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
AN INAUGURAL ‘LADS AND DADS’ EVENT
Assistant coroner Christopher Leach read several statements, including from Mr Sidgwick’s son, Robert, who had joined his father on the trip.
Robert explained how his father had driven them to Dunston Hall, along with his cousin, Mr Sidgwick’s nephew, on June 14.
After a quick turnaround to collect a forgotten bag, the road trip passed quickly as the group talked about previous golf trips.
Robert said: “This was an annual golf trip which had gone on for more than 20 years, organise by dad.
“It was the first time the younger generation had been able to join in for a ‘lads and dads’ golf tour.”
The group also consisted of Mr Sidgwick’s best friend, another nephew, his brother, and two more friends.
Robert continued: “The golf tour finally began with everyone raising a drink to a good day ahead.
“[During a round of golf] dad had talked to his best mate about how happy he was with life and how proud he was of us, his boys, with our sporting achievements and our progression into adults. He described us as ‘mini ted’s’.
“Then he spoke about mum and how he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such a lovely wife.
“Finally, he talked about his older brother, who he loved dearly, just wanting him to have the same happiness he had.”
Just before this, he had called his wife, Joanna, to tell her “what a great day they had all had”.
After the meal, they then headed to the bar next to the restaurant and sat until approximately 11pm when Mr Sidgwick said he was going to go to bed.
A police report said he had been “refused service at the bar for having been too intoxicated” but that staff confirmed he “took this in good spirits and rejoined his group where he shortly decided he would return to his room".
The group informed him that they would also be returning to their rooms once they had finished their drinks.
A TRAGIC FALL
It was just before midnight when Mr Sidgwick was discovered in a hallway on the stairs by other members of his group. At five minutes past, an ambulance was called to the hotel, just off the A140 south of Norwich.
At first, the group believed Mr Sidgwick, from Stonea near March, Cambridgeshire, had fallen asleep before quickly realising something was not right.
He was, in fact, in cardiac arrest having sustained a serious head trauma.
Police officers later searched the hotel’s CCTV to reveal Mr Sidgwick's final movements.
The police report said: “Upon review of the CCTV, you can see Mr Sidgwick leave the bar area and enter the hallway.
“He appears unsteady on his feet, giving the impression he is intoxicated, but he is able to walk reasonably well.
“He can be seen looking at his phone, pausing at the bottom of the stairs whilst he looks at his phone, then makes his way towards the lift where he enters.”
A short while later he got out on the same floor and then continued to enter and exit the lift on the hallway on three more occasions.
He then re-entered the lift for a final time and was not seen again on the footage.
There is no CCTV on the other floors, so it is not known which floor he got out at.
Seven minutes later, he was discovered on the stairs.
The police report adds: “Mr Sidgwick and his group all had rooms located downstairs on the bottom floor.
“It appears that he had been unsure of where his room was located and has taken a lift upstairs and then realised he needs to go downstairs and has decided to take the stairs instead of a lift.
“It looked like he had stumbled down some stairs and hit his head on the corner of a wall.
“There were no tripping hazards, and it appears the likely cause of the fall would be down to Mr Sidgwick's intoxication.”
The report adds that he may also have been using his mobile phone while walking down the stairs as it was found on the floor close to him.
CORONER’S FINDINGS
During the inquest, Mr Sidgwick was described as an active man who would regularly going on long walks.
He was rarely seen by his GP, although he had been tested for vertigo in 2019. The tests came back negative.
Dr Paul Smith, a forensic toxicologist, discovered that at the time of Mr Sidgwick’s death, the father-of-three had 278mg of ethanol (alcohol) per 100ml of blood in his system. The legal limit to drive is 80mg per 100ml.
Dr Smith said: “In conclusion alcohol was detected at a concentrate which may have been sufficient to impair cognitive behaviour and motor function... and likely contributed to the fall.”
A post-mortem confirmed that the medical cause of death was traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage associated with a skull fracture due to a severe traumatic head injury. It also cited “excessive alcohol intake” as a secondary cause.
Mr Leach said: “Mr Sidgwick was a committed family man who was clearly dedicated to and proud of his loving family.
“It was during the course of a family event that Mr Sidgwick sadly passed away.
“Mr Sidgwick’s fatal head injury was most likely due to the fall sustained around the time of death and that high alcohol levels rather than some other medical condition or an accident had likely contributed to the fall.”
Mr Leach concluded that Mr Sidgwick died as a result of an alcohol-related death.
A TRIBUTE
Edward Michael Sidgwick was born on June 25, 1970, in Swindon, Wiltshire,
He first met his wife, Joanna Sidgwick, in 1986 when they worked together at TSB bank in Peterborough.
The couple began dating in December 1993, married on June 1, 1996, and then welcomed triplet boys on June 2, 2000; Robert, Harry and Jack.
That same year, Mr Sidgwick moved his career to London.
Mrs Sidgwick said: “This began his very successful career in financial banking with several different banking institutions.
"Apart from his work accomplishments, Ted was a hands-on dad and was immensely proud of the men our boys have become.
“He would be cheering them on from the side lines in the various sports they played and supported them with their academic achievements and in their subsequent jobs.
“He was a dedicated family man not only providing love and security for myself and our boys, but he also was in daily contact with his mother and brother who he helped enormously following the passing of his father."
She went on to describe his love of sports, including golf and, when younger, cricket and football. He also enjoyed watching most sports but particularly rugby.
Mrs Sidgwick added: “At the end of the working week, Ted liked to unwind with the dog, rugby, and a beer in a bar room we have in the garden. He took pride in our home."
To pay tribute to a loved one email norfolkobituaries@newsquest.co.uk
- To read all obituaries and tributes join the Facebook group Norfolk's Loved & Lost.
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