Man 'froze to death' after paralysis trapped him on the floor of his cold flat

A MAN died from hypothermia after alcohol-induced paralysis trapped him on the floor of his cold Lymington flat for 12 hours, an inquest heard.

When police broke into Nicholas Lindeman’s property in Campion Way they found the 63-year-old wearing just a dressing gown and shivering, Winchester Coroners Court was told.

He was semi-conscious with blue lips and hands, and could barely talk.

Mr Lindeman was rushed to Southampton General Hospital and underwent scans, but due to his long medical history and unlikely recovery, he was made comfortable until he died later that day.

The inquest heard police were alerted on 14th March by Debbie Millward, landlady at Mr Lindeman’s local pub, the Borough Arms. She said he “turned up like clockwork” at lunchtimes but she had not seen him for four days.

Neighbours who lived beneath Mr Lindeman’s flat told police they had not seen him for a similar period but had heard noises around midnight on 13th March like moving furniture.

When PC Christopher Fry and a colleague gained entry at around midday they found Mr Lindeman in a “distressed state” and called paramedics.

Coroner Christopher Wilkinson explained that hospital doctors said it was most likely he suffered a seizure because of a neurological condition, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, which is caused by prolonged alcohol abuse, although a toxicology report revealed he had no alcohol in his blood at the time.

A secondary aspect can be Todd’s paresis which renders the sufferer incapable of moving, which indicated why Mr Lindeman had remained on the floor.

Mr Lindeman took a number of medications daily, including anti-depressants and anti-convulsing medication, but they were at therapeutic levels.

The coroner noted a GP report said Mr Lindeman suffered historical episodes of self-harm, took an overdose in the late 1990s, and had conditions including hypertension and high blood pressure. He had also suffered several mini-heart attacks and strokes over the past 15 years.

Mr Lindeman spent time in Southampton General Hospital in November last year for conditions consistent with alcohol misuse and influenza-type symptoms, the inquest heard.

Mr Wilkinson said he had been told the deceased was a divorced man who lived alone and was known to be a “chronic alcoholic”. He had sought help from the local Inclusion Service for his alcohol intake, but chose to disengage with it for good in 2015.

The coroner said it appeared as though Mr Lindeman had chosen to “self-isolate” for a few days in March, possibly as he was ill, and the sound heard by his neighbours was likely his collapse.

“The 12-hour period is very likely, in the circumstances he was found, to have caused the hypothermia from which we now know is his clinical and medical cause of death,” Mr Wilkinson said.

How he came to fall was most likely because of the seizure related to his past abuse of alcohol, he said, ruling out a heart attack, stroke or self-harm.

He ruled Mr Lindeman’s death was due to natural causes, adding they arose because of unexpected circumstances.

Had he been discovered before, there may have been a chance to save him, Mr Wilkinson said, adding: “Sadly on this occasion that was not to be the case.”