Southampton mother died after choking on chicken curry

A mother-of-three died after choking on a chicken curry she had hungrily devoured while at a party held in honour of her dead friend’s birthday.

Sandra Bran, 67, had been drinking heavily with friends when she choked on the spicy meal, at the gathering in Southampton.

In her haste to eat the curry, a large, inch-long piece of chicken became lodged in her throat causing her airway to be blocked.

Sandra Bran, 67, had been drinking heavily with friends when she choked on a chicken curry, at a party in Southampton (file photo)

Her body’s reflexes were badly affected by the amount of alcohol she had consumed and she died at the scene, an inquest into her death heard. 

Tracy Cromer, who hosted the party, told the hearing: ‘Sandra was feeling emotional – she ate very quickly and was told to slow down.’

Friends desperately battled to save her life and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

They tried in vain to dislodge the food stuck in her airway by slapping her on the back and performing a ‘bear-hug’ Heimlich manoeuvre. They also put her in the recovery position.

Paramedics arrived at the house in Marchwood, near Southampton, at 9..30pm that evening and tried attempted to revive the retired cleaner for more than 30 minutes but to no avail.

A post mortem examination showed she died of an upper airway obstruction due to impacted food and that her level of alcohol could have affected her body’s natural ability to protect itself.

The toxicology report revealed Mrs Bran, from Southampton, who had drunk eight cans of Fosters lager, was over two times the legal drink drive limit.

Her husband, Frank Bran, told the Winchester inquest: ‘She was fine, then next thing I knew she just collapsed and people started to help her.

An inquest at Winchester cororner's court heard Mrs Bran had drink eight cans of Foster at the party, which affected her body's reflexes as she chokes

An inquest at Winchester cororner’s court heard Mrs Bran had drink eight cans of Foster at the party, which affected her body’s reflexes as she chokes

‘There was no delay in calling the emergency services.’

Assistant Coroner Simon Burge recorded that Mrs Bran’s death on May 13 was ‘accidental’ and as the result of choking on a substantial piece of chicken that impacted her airway.

He added that the level of alcohol she had consumed prevented her body’s reflexes from working properly.

He said: ‘Her friends tried to rescue her.

‘The emergency services were called immediately. They could not have done any more to try and save her life.’

 

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