Painter died from head injuries after falling from ladder while putting up Union flag

A painter and decorator sustained fatal head injuries when he fell from a ladder while tying a Union flag to a lamppost, an inquest heard.

Paul Lumber, 61, had gone out near his home in Duckmoor Road in Bristol, to erect flags on lampposts after attending a football match.

Avon Coroner’s Court was told how neighbours heard a loud bang before discovering Lumber on the ground, with his ladder nearby, on the evening of November 22 last year.

Lumber, who was married, was taken to Southmead Hospital and underwent surgery, but his condition deteriorated, and he died on December 6.

Dr Simon Fox KC, assistant coroner for Avon, reached a conclusion of accidental death following a short hearing on Thursday.

The coroner said: ‘Mr Lumber fell from a ladder while tying a Union Jack flag to a lamppost at night after consuming alcohol.’

During the inquest, a statement by coroner’s officer Andrew Eastwood was read.

Lumber was a well-known fan of Bristol City FC and authored two books about his experiences. The two volumes, titled It All Kicked Off In Bristol, explored football hooliganism.

Dr Richard Moon, who works in the neurosurgery department at Southmead Hospital, said Lumber was reported to have fallen from a ladder on November 22 last year.

A CT scan showed extensive head injuries, including a skull fracture. Mr Lumber underwent two operations but later died.

His cause of death was recorded as traumatic brain injury and a fall.

Eastwood, in a statement, said he had spoken to Lumber’s wife, Michelle, who told him he had ‘been to watch Bristol City play football and had consumed several alcoholic drinks’.

He returned home at at 7.30pm and took the key to his van – where he kept his work ladder – before leaving their home.

Mrs Lumber later became aware of sirens across the road and went out to find her husband being treated by paramedics, with his ladder nearby and a Union flag on a lamppost.

Neighbours had called 999 after hearing a loud bang and discovering Lumber on the ground with a head injury.

Paramedics notes recorded that Lumber had left his home ‘to put up flags around the neighbourhood’, Eastwood said.

Eastwood told the inquest: ‘The family have no concerns regarding any of the care or treatment provided.’

Following his death, a close friend paid tribute to him to BristolLive as a Bristol City and England supporter who ‘followed both club and country with unwavering devotion’.

They added: ‘Friends described him as a man whose world revolved around those he loved.’

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