An Eastwood bakery worker died from natural causes after two members of his family found him unresponsive on his settee with a blood-soaked bandage on his arm and in the surrounding area. An inquest in Derby, which concluded on Wednesday (February 15) found Wayne Thorpe, 44, died on August 16, 2015, from a kidney infection and a heart condition - just weeks after an accident at the Warburton's factory, Eastwood, where he had worked.
But the medical cause of death was found by a jury to be natural causes with the conclusion recorded as: (1a) "Acute pyelonephritis" (a bacterial infection causing inflammation of the kidneys) and (2) "Myocardial scarring" (the accumulation of fibrous tissue resulting after some form of trauma to the cardiac tissue).
A record of the jury inquest, supplied to Nottinghamshire Live, recorded Mr Thorpe's accident at work after he sustained the injury to his arm. The report reads: "He was taken to hospital and then referred to the burns unit with a friction burn."
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Mr Thorpe, of Sedgwick Street, Langley Mill, had an overnight stay in hospital with treatment planned for a skin graft. He was discharged on August 5, 2015, in the company of a family member.
Mr Thorpe returned to the burns unit on August 7, 2015, for the skin graft, and was discharged on August 8 to the primary address of a member of his family. He then attended the burns unit outpatient's clinic on August 12, where staples were removed, his dressing changed, and a swab taken for infection check and some vital observations were made.
The inquest report reads: "Wayne was sent home with a follow-up appointment arranged for 17th August, 2015. After four days of no contact, two family members visited Wayne's address and they could see Wayne through the front window.
"They accessed the property with their own key where they found Wayne unresponsive on the settee with a blood-soaked bandage on his arm and in the surrounding area. Emergency services attended and pronounced Wayne dead at the scene.
"Police reported there was no evidence or break-in or foul play. A post-mortem was performed by a pathologist on 19th August, 2015, and found Wayne to have acute pyelonephritis and myocardial scarring. The conclusion was recorded as 'natural causes'."
After the inquest his devastated brother, Robert Thorpe, said: ““As a family, we’ve been trying to get some clarity and justice for Wayne ever since his untimely death in 2015, and, particularly since my mother’s death in 2019, it has been an extremely difficult wait for answers about what actually caused Wayne’s death.”
Carolle White, senior associate, and Shrdha Kapoor, associate and solicitor at law firm Nelsons, along with David Story, a barrister at Hailsham Chambers, have been assisting Wayne’s family since his death.
Miss Kapoor said: “This long-awaited inquest allowed for all the factual evidence to be presented to the jury, alongside key evidence from the independent burns expert and pathologists, all of whom offered their opinions as to the ultimate cause of Wayne’s death.
"With differing expert opinion, this case was not straightforward. Several questions were raised about Wayne’s medical care, such as whether there was a potential missed opportunity to explore signs of infection and whether there was a lack of appropriate advice on symptoms to look out for and who to contact for assistance if he was feeling unwell. For a profoundly deaf patient who lived alone, providing this advice was arguably essential.
“Although the process has not answered all the family’s concerns, we welcome the fact this long delayed inquest has finally come to a conclusion.”
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