A FATHER-of-eight died after falling on a chip pan, Bradford Coroners’ Court was told

Anthony Medd, from Oakworth, died aged 72 on July 31 last year, at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

The cause of his death was put down to multiple organ failure, sepsis, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, following the injuries he sustained at home earlier that month.

Bradford Coroner Martyn Fleming heard during the inquest how Mr Medd, a well-loved family man, was accidentally set on fire as he cooked tea for his wife, her friend, and himself.

A statement read on behalf of Mr Medd’s wife said she did not see how he caught fire at their home on July 12, as she was in a different room.

She said Mr Medd – who had his left leg amputated from above the knee – had stumbled onto the chip pan, where he was cooking sausages, and his clothes had caught fire, causing burns to his chest and torso.

The couple’s friend, Jean Graham, who visited the Medds every Wednesday for tea, which Mr Medd always cooked, threw two bowls of water onto Mr Medd to douse the flames, and he was then taken outside to his wheelchair, where neighbours helped ease the burns.

He was then taken by ambulance to Airedale Hospital, before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Pinderfields.

The day after he was admitted to Pinderfields, Mr Medd suffered a severe stroke, and was kept in the hospital for two weeks to recover to be sufficiently healthy for surgery on his burns.

But following surgery, Mr Medd developed an infection, and shortly after died from multiple organ failure, sepsis, burns, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Coroner Martyn Fleming described the case as “very sad and tragic”, adding: “It has not been difficult to find answers given the tragic and distressing evidence I have heard.

“Mr Medd was a much loved husband and friend who had much to put up with, diabetes and amputation, but got on with his life situation. His death has devastated all those who knew him.

“Special vigilance needs to be taken around naked flames, especially with the disabled. I conclude Mr Medd died an accidental death.”

Mr Medd is survived by his wife, eight children, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.