Posted on 07/09/2019 3:21:25 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Metal straws may be eco-friendly, but a coroner has warned of the potential dangers they pose after a woman in England died last year in a freak accident.
Elena Struthers-Gardner, 60, sustained a traumatic brain injury after falling while carrying a mason jar-styled drinking glass that had a screw-top lid at her home in Dorset on Nov. 22, an inquest heard on Monday.
Struthers-Gardner's death was ruled an accident, with a coroner's report noting that "clearly great care" should be taken when using metal straws.
"There is no give in them at all," Assistant coroner Brendan Allen said, according to The Sun. "If someone does fall on one and it’s pointed in the wrong direction, serious injury can occur."
When Struthers-Gardner fell, officials said the 10-inch metal straw pierced through her eye and into her brain.
Elena's wife, Mandy, told the hearing she found her partner lying in a doorway between the kitchen and living room, The Sun reported.
"She was making unusual gurgling sounds. Her glass cup was lying on the floor still intact and the straw was still in the jar," she said Monday. "I noticed the straw was sticking into her head."
She was rushed to a hospital, but doctors told her partner the severity of her injury made it very unlikely Struthers-Gardner would survive. Her life support was eventually switched off.
The 60-year-old was a retired jockey and had mobility difficulties stemming from a horse-riding accident.
Her wife said the riding accident caused multiple fractures to Struthers-Gardner's lumbar spine and caused scoliosis, which left her prone to falling over "like a sack of potatoes" randomly," according to the Daily Mail.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yikes! She finally sobers up, and then THIS happens!
My wife and I fought over these. I hated them at first sight and said they were incredibly dangerous. Took repeated arguments to finally get them out of the house and away from our kids.
I hate it when that happens.
Well, she did her part to save the environment twice over: she used a non-plastic straw and she will no longer leave much of a carbon footprint. Me, I’m waiting for the accidents to start with the glass straws — yeah, glass, cuz that’s a thing — then the really injurious fun begins!
I’m just glad I remember the joys of the much-safer paper straws!
At least no turtles had a plastic straw up their nose in her neighborhood. Always think of the good.
Hate what? The falling over “like a sack of potatoes” randomly,” part?
Yes, I hate that too. Hate it.
Good for you!
I’m drinking from one of those insulated ‘Adult Sippy Cups’ with the HARD plastic straw anchored in the center of the lid! (No small kids in the house these days!)
If Y’all don’t hear from me later on this evening, assume the worst and dial 9-1-1!
I’d better buy a bunch before the Nanny Staters take them away from me for my own good! ;)
Almost impossible to clean a metal straw. I would never use one. Actually, never been offered one.
At least it wasn’t plastic
I’m sure with her age and prior conditions, a wooden splinter in her big toe would have been a death sentence in the UK’s socialized healthcare system.
Metal straws will be the weapon of choice due to the knife ban.
Putting them in the dishwasher is almost impossible for you? I have them, they are made of stainless steel, and when they come out of the dishwasher, they are probably more sterile than a brand-new Chinese-import plastic straw.
The clinical description the partner gives of the victim’s injuries sounds very like Charles Stuart speaking of his wife Carol, whom he had just shot (Boston, 1989).
Struck an off note with me then, and does now. But perhaps the partner is in healthcare, and is used to that kind of description, and she was speaking days, not minutes later.
I’m just glad I remember the joys of the much-safer paper straws!
She was essentially running with scissors when considering her health problems.
While I don’t like the steel straw craze (they are really hot in my industry), this incident is just Darwin in action. Culling the herd.
I know it sounds cold, but protecting idiots from themselves only allows them to reproduce. With predictable results for our culture.
No Darwin award needed for the action.
That the description was given by her wife means she already qualified.
I heard a similar story about 30 years ago about a guy in Phoenix who cooked himself a steak, was carrying it out to where he was going to eat it while watching TV, holding his fork/knife, tripped/fell, and stuck the knife into his eye as he fell.
Not surprisingly, knives are as effective as metal straws when jammed into an eye.
QUICK!
The batteries in the Hillary
automaton died again!
Get her into the
mobile recharge station.
7
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