April 24, 2019 5.05 pm This story is over 59 months old

Pub customer choked to death on steak pie

The inquest has now concluded

Stock photo of a pie. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A pub customer, staff and paramedics battled in vain to save the life of a man who choked on a piece of steak pie, an inquest heard.

Nigel Chapman reported for Lincolnshire Reporter from the inquest at Boston Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, April 24.

Stephen Ronald Oglesbee collapsed at The Barley Mow in Friskney on January 19, 2019.

The food matter – believed to have been a piece of crust – “went down the wrong way” and the 64-year-old haulage business owner was soon in obvious trouble and suffered cardiac arrest.

The inquest at Boston Coroner’s Court was told that Mr Oglesbee, of Acorn Close, Freiston, had ordered steak pie, roast potatoes, mash and vegetables.

In a statement his partner Roslyn Hunt, who was with him, said: “I suspect it may have been the crust of the pie which he put in his mouth. I noticed that he was choking so I stood up and shouted for help.”

The pub owner appealed for anybody in the restaurant with medical experience. A woman then performed CPR on Mr Oglesbee as the owner relayed instructions to her while on the phone to ambulance control.

Paramedics arrived within eight minutes of the lunchtime call. They used mechanical suction and Gill forceps to try and clear Mr Oglesbee’s airway but the food was too far down to reach.

The inquest heard that he had difficulty coughing at times due to having Parkinson’s Disease and also suffered from diaphragmatic paralysis and ischaemic heart disease.

After 40 minutes of attempts to revive him, Mr Oglesbee was transferred to Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital but was pronounced dead soon after arrival. Primary cause of death was “choking on food matter”.

Giving a conclusion of accident, Lincolnshire area coroner Paul Smith said: “In common terms, it went down the wrong way and his respiratory function was impaired. Despite the best efforts of everyone there was no sign that he could be revived.”