
A 39-year-old British woman tragically lost her life when a defective ottoman bed mechanism malfunctioned and asphyxiated her, leading to calls for stricter safety measures on such furniture. Helen Davey, a mother of two from Seaham, County Durham, died in June 2024 after the gas-lift mechanism of her ottoman bed failed, causing the mattress platform to descend unexpectedly and trap her neck between the mattress and the base, according to a coroner's report.