A WINCHESTER woman unexpectedly died after she fell down the stairs of her house, an inquest has heard.

Alison Osmond, 56, of Stuart Crescent, Stanmore, died at Southampton General Hospital on January 6.

The hearing into her death, on Wednesday, November 29 at Winchester Coroners Court, heard that prior to her death, Mrs Osmond had been struggling with alcohol dependency and had suffered a fall on Christmas day believed to have been caused by a mini-stroke. She was also living with liver disease and type-2 Diabetes.

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While she had been referred to the drug and alcohol charity Inclusion Hampshire, it was heard that Mrs Osmond had declined to engage with the support service.

She suffered a major fall in the early hours of January 2, which led to her death.

In a written statement read out by Chief Area Coroner Christopher Wilkinson, Mrs Osmond’s son, Max Osmond, said: “I had plans with a friend in the morning, and I went to visit them. When I came home, I found that Mum had been drinking. I took the alcohol off her and knew I would have to keep an eye on her.”

Mr Osmond said that he heard a crash at approximately 2am on January 2, and found his mother lying at the bottom of the stairs.

Mrs Osmond was taken to Southampton General Hospital where it was discovered that she had two types of bleed in and around her brain, as well as multiple fractures to her ribs and collarbones. Her lung had collapsed, and she was unresponsive.

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In a written statement, Dr Paul Groves, a consultant at the hospital, said that Mrs Osmond was placed on life support, where she displayed only minor improvements. The family decided to take her off life support on January 6, and she died later that day.

While a post-mortem showed no alcohol in Mrs Osmond’s system, Mr Wilkinson said: “From the evidence I have heard, it was more likely than not that this incident was caused by the effects of alcohol."

The coroner gave the verdict of accidental death, said: “I would like to extend my condolences to the family.

“It was an entirely unexpected and tragic event which has led to Mrs Osmond’s passing.”