Man found unconscious in Market Drayton road had fallen, inquest hears
A man found lying unconscious with head injuries in the middle of the road in Market Drayton had fallen over, an inquest has concluded.
Graham Whittingham, 58, died at the Royal Stoke Hospital on June 16 last year, after he was found unconscious by a member of the public in Smithfield Road.
An inquest, held at Shirehall in Shrewsbury yesterday, found he died after falling in the road on the night of June 13, despite rumours that he may have been assaulted or attacked.
Assistant coroner for Shropshire and Telford, Heath Westerman, yesterday said he had been presented no evidence to corroborate the "hearsay".
The retired postman has been drinking in The Stag's Head and had walked some of the way home with a friend, before continuing alone down Smithfield Road, where he was found by a driver shortly after midnight.
An ambulance attended and he was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, where a CT scan found he had a bleed on the brain, before he was transferred to Stoke.
A post mortem was carried out and found that Mr Whittingham died of pneumonia, blunt head injuries and liver disease.
Mr Westerman recorded a conclusion of accidental death.
