Ipswich Cornhill: John Stow death an 'accident'

The Cornhill was revamped with new paving, a water feature, new benches and ornamental trees in November 2018

The death of a man who fell down steps installed as part of a £3.6m town centre revamp was an "accident", a coroner has found.

John Stow, 83, slipped in the Cornhill, Ipswich, on 19 January 2019 and died the next day.

New paving and steps had been unveiled as part of the project to freshen up the town square in November 2018.

Coroner Catherine Wood said the cause of Mr Stow's death was a subarachnoid haemorrhage and fracture.

Fountains, seating and sculptures were installed on the Cornhill as part of the efforts to give it a fresh look. However, the sculptures were later removed and further safety work was carried out after the death of Mr Stow.

Ipswich Borough Council said the original work, assessed by two independent experts, was "compliant with the relevant guidelines".

Flowers were left at the scene of John Stow's fall in the Cornhill in January 2019

In her report, Ms Wood said: "John Stow was seen to fall from a set of steps in the Cornhill in Ipswich town centre.

"An ambulance was called and he was taken to Ipswich Hospital where he was diagnosed as suffering from a significant head injury.

"He was deemed unsuitable for neurosurgical intervention and died the following day as a consequence of his injuries."

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A spokesman for the council said: "Ipswich Borough Council shares the condolences towards the Stow family which the coroner, Mrs Wood, expressed when delivering an accidental death verdict at the inquest.

"The Cornhill redevelopment has been assessed by two independent experts, one from the Health and Safety Executive, both of whom considered it in light of the death of Mr Stow.

"It was found to be compliant with the relevant guidelines."