Injured Spalding man died after sleeping out in wind and rain

A Spalding man who suffered a broken leg in a fall and then spent a night sleeping outside in cold conditions died four days later.

Nicholas Letchford was “well in drink” when the injury occurred, an inquest heard.
The following morning two homeless people came across him on the cleared site of the town’s former Welland Hospital in Roman Bank, and an ambulance was called.

Mr Letchford was admitted to Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital suffering from hypothermia, chest pain and a fractured tibia. An operation on the leg injury was successful but he was later found to be suffering internal bleeding.
Attempts to stem the condition were briefly successful but the 49-year-old, of St Thomas’s Road, Spalding, went on to suffer major organ failure.

The resumed inquest at Boston Coroner’s Court last Wednesday heard that a 999 call was made by Mr Letchford at 9.50am on October 13, 2014 – the day after the fall.
But he was unable to tell East Midlands Ambulance Service where he was. Repeated efforts by the call-taker to gather the information proved fruitless and the location of the mobile phone which Mr Letchford was using could not be traced.

Prof Robert Forrest, senior coroner for South Lincolnshire, said it was his understanding that an ambulance had been despatched.
“The crew cruised up and down but was unable to find him,” he said.

The second 999 call, prompted by the homeless men, was made about 90 minutes after Mr Letchford’s.

Following the death, Det Insp Adrian Czajkowski carried out investigations surrounding Mr Letchford’s injury sustained at about 8pm on October 12, but found there to be no evidence of assault.
Det Insp Czajkowski relayed to the inquest what Mr Letchford told hospital staff.
“He had been exposed to wind and rain all night,” he said. “[The injury] had happened while walking a female friend home. He had been drinking. Due to the pain he decided to stay put.”

Consultant surgeon Munir Rathore told the hearing that, on admission to hospital, Mr Letchford was shivering and his temperature was 33.9 degrees Celsius. Normal is 37 and hypothermia can set in at 35.
Pathologist Dr Kevin West gave the causes of death as gastro-oesophageal haemorrhage and esophageal varices, hypothermia and fractured tibia. Contributory factors were liver cirrhosis and coronary valve sclerosis.

Prof Forrest said shock, alcohol abuse and heart disease had all contributed to Mr Letchford’s death on October 17 and the coroner recorded a conclusion of accidental death.