‘Gentle and well-spirited’ Eastbourne man died of sepsis after falling down the stairs

A 71-year-old man from Eastbourne died from a fall in his home which lead to sepsis.

Ronald Clayton died at the DGH on August 13 last year following a fall at his home in Victoria Drive, an inquest heard.

An inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday (February 11), heard that Mr Clayton, a retired civil servant who lived alone, was discovered at the bottom of his stairs on August 10.

Mr Clayton’s personal assistant Mario Longo, who helped him with cleaning and shopping, said he found Mr Clayton in the hallway on August 10 at around 1pm.

Mr Longo said Mr Clayton was ‘always in a gentle and well-spirited disposition’.

The inquest heard Mr Longo said he believed Mr Clayton had been on the floor for a few hours before he was found and was ‘in pain but breathing’.

He called an ambulance and Mr Clayton went into hospital that afternoon.

Dr David Neal, a consultant at the DGH, said there was ‘possible infection which was causing confusion’ when Mr Clayton arrived at the hospital.

Dr Neal suspected this was due to the length of time he had been on the floor before being found. He said Mr Clayton went onto antibiotics but his condition deteriorated and he died three days later.

He said, “He didn’t pick up at all, he was old and frail and sepsis can set in very quickly.”

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze ruled that Mr Clayton’s death was accidental.

Mr Craze said, “No physical injuries were caused but being left on the floor for a considerable amount of time wouldn’t have done him any good at his age. Without the fall he wouldn’t have died when he did,”