A pensioner died after choking on a piece of steak while celebrating his 57th wedding anniversary, an inquest heard.
Michael Pitts, 84, had been enjoying a meal out with wife, Joan, 78, when he began to struggle to breathe.
Mrs Pitts said her husband had said that his ribeye steak was a bit chewy but when asked by the waiter if he wanted it changed, he said that it was ‘probably just the cow’. She added: ‘It was his sense of humour.’
Mr Pitts and his wife had just returned from holiday in Devon when they decided to go to the Grapevine restaurant (pictured) in Odiham, Hampshire, an inquest heard
Mr Pitts and his wife had just returned from holiday in Devon when they decided to go to the Grapevine restaurant in Odiham, Hampshire, Basingstoke coroner’s court heard. Mrs Pitts, who lives in nearby Old Basing, said she became concerned for him when he started coughing.
She said: ‘I told him to have a glass of water and with that his arms went down and he just fell backwards into his chair.
‘I didn’t know what happened and just went round to try to sit him up a bit.’
Staff tried to resuscitate Mr Pitts and put him in the recovery position until para-medics arrived.
After about 40 minutes the medical team found his airways were blocked and extracted a piece of steak lodged in his throat. His wife was taken to hospital by the police, though both the police and the ambulance were delayed by five minutes due to roadworks.
Mr Pitts died later that day on June 16 at the North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Restaurant manager Sumin Lohani said: ‘Obviously I felt so sorry for Mrs Pitts and the family. It should have been the best memory to celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary at my restaurant.’
The inquest heard Mr Pitts had a pacemaker and used a stick to walk due to problems with his hip, but did not suffer from dementia or any illness that would have impeded his ability to swallow. Coroner Andrew Bradley recorded a conclusion of death by misadventure and said a post-mortem examination showed heart disease and old age contributed to the cause of death of asphyxia.
He said: ‘It was a celebration that went wrong, it could not go any more wrong than that. It’s a disaster. He has inhaled a bit of steak, that’s exactly what happened and it’s deeply lodged. A horrible set of circumstances and everyone behaved brilliantly and did all they could for Michael.’
Addressing Mrs Pitts, he added: ‘It’s a tragedy and a matter of great sadness for you and your family and you have my deepest sympathies.’