A NARRATIVE verdict was recorded at the inquest of a man who died from serious head injuries following a fall at home.

James Beardsworth, 51, died at his parents’ house at Callas Rise in Wanborough on January 17 last year.

He was known to have been an alcoholic and had been drinking heavily that evening.

But at an inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall on Tuesday coroner David Ridley said he could not be certain that Mr Beardsworth either died from a fall because he lost his balance or because he experienced an alcohol-related seizure.

He said: “Jamie was found unresponsive on his bed at his parents’ house where he was living at 4.10am on Friday January 16.

“He had been drinking and at some point Jamie fell, hitting his head on a blunt object.

“He managed to make his way to his bedroom before losing consciousness.

“The emergency services were called and he was taken to the Great Western Hospital.

“A CT scan revealed Jamie had sustained a head injury resulting in a sub-dural bleed. His injury was not survivable.

“It is unknown as to whether the fall was as a result of a loss of balance due to the effect of the alcohol Jamie had consumed that evening or whether Jamie experienced an alcohol-related seizure which caused him to fall.

“Jamie was known to have experienced such a seizure on at least one previous occasion.”

The inquest heard that Jamie was divorced and had been working for a wine merchant before losing his job in about 2005-06.

He had moved back in with his parents in 2007 when it became apparent how serious his drinking had become.

About nine months before he had confessed to his brother that he was an alcoholic. He had attended one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting but his family weren’t aware of him having any other help.

Following his death, a post mortem examination revealed the head injury he had suffered was of the type normally found in road traffic collisions or assaults, so another post mortem examination was ordered.

This found that his blood alcohol level was at 72 microgrammes at the time of his death, meaning at the time he was found it would have been 210 microgrammes.

The drink drive limit is 80 microgrammes.

Dr Cook said this level of alcohol could cause poor co-ordination but added that Mr Beadsworth had previously experienced an alcohol-related seizure and this was also a possibility.

Mr Ridley said: “While I'm quite clear that Jamie had a fall, I’m unclear as to how that fall occurred.”