Mum died from suffocation after being trapped in her ottoman bed

A coroner has raised concerns about the furniture piece, warning there is a 'risk of future deaths'

Mother-of-two Helen Davey was leaning over the storage area of the bed when the mattress platform "unexpectedly" came down on her on June 7, at her home in Seaham, County Durham.

The beautician's neck became trapped in between the side panel of the bed's base and the mattress. She was later found by her 19-year-old daughter.

An inquest into her death concluded her death by positional asphyxia was accidental but found one of the bed's gas pistons was faulty, the BBC reports. Senior coroner Jeremy Chipperfield warned there is a risk of further deaths if action is not taken on potentially defective beds.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Secretary of State for Trade and Business, Office for Product Safety and Standards and the Department for Business and Trade, the coroner said: “During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern.

“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.

“The matters of concern are as follows: The existence and use of gas piston bed mechanisms whose failure presents risk to life.”

An ottoman bed is a piece of furniture that doubles up as a bed and storage solution. The bed lifts up, allowing access to storage underneath the mattress.