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DRINKING DISASTER

A football fan died after a heavy drinking session led to him choking on his own vomit, an inquest heard.

Talented Goole footballer Dean Carmichael, who lost consciousness after a 10-hour drinking session, died in the back of a taxi on the way back from watching his beloved Leeds United.

The 39-year-old, described as "a supreme athlete" by friends and family, had been to watch his favourite team play a home game on December 8 last year and was in "high spirits" after they recorded a 4-1 home win. But after the game his mood began to sour and he turned sullen.

Friends who had been to watch the game with Mr Carmichael, who had been drinking since 8am on the day he died, put him in the back of a taxi after he became unsteady on his feet.

He was laid down on his side for his own safety but, on the way back to his home in Goole, his condition began to deteriorate.

Mr Carmichael's friend Shaun Booth accompanied him back to Goole in the cab and made constant checks on him to check he was okay. He told the inquest Mr Carmichael kept "groaning" and that the taxi driver had to stop the cab three times as they began to fret about Mr Carmichael's condition. Mr Booth said his friend's mood began to change while they were drinking in the North Bar in Leeds. He said his friend was clearly the worse for wear through drink.

"I told him off at one point and I asked him to put the lid on the bottle he had," said Mr Booth.

He and his friends, Mark Wilson and Richard Walker, decided to take Mr Carmichael to the bus station.

Mr Booth said that when they put Mr Carmichael in a taxi he literally had to be dragged in by his feet before they put him in a side position.

Mr Booth, who was sitting in the front seat of the cab, said he had seen his friend drunk "but never that drunk".

"There was no speech from him at the time," he added. "He seemed to go straight to sleep and we weren't getting anything from him."

Mr Booth said the last time the taxi stopped - just before Goole - he had to wipe vomit from Mr Carmichael's face and clothes.

"Each time we stopped he had rolled on his back and we kept changing his position," he added.

After the taxi pulled up at Mr Carmichael's parents' home on Dunhill Road, Mr Booth carried Dean into the house with the help of his father.

His father, Brian Carmichael, and Mr Booth both gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the hallway after calling 999 for advice.

Paramedics arrived to find Brian and Mr Booth kneelingover Mr Carmichael.

Mr Carmichael senior, who was holding his son's hand, told them: "I think he's gone."

Paramedics tried respiratory and cardiovascular resuscitation but Mr Camrichael did not respond and he was pronounced dead at 8.05 pm.

Mr Carmichael's friend Richard Walker told the inquest he had a call from his pal at about 10.45am to say he was on the Leeds-bound train and was already drinking.

He said when they met up in Leeds after the match Mr Carmichael appeared "giddy".

"It was clear he'd been drinking," said Mr Walker. "At about 5.15pm he just went really quiet. That was Dean - when he got drunk he went quiet."

He added that Mr Carmichael, who is divorced, had recently curtailed his drinking after meeting a new girlfriend.

"He was getting drunk but it was only once a week," he added. "He was a well-liked and popular lad."

Mark Wilson, who was also on the football trip, said Dean was "overjoyed" after the game because Leeds had beaten Huddersfield.

It had been a lunchtime kick-off and the friends met in a Leeds bar at about 3.15pm.

Mr Wilson said Mr Carmichael, who had supported Leeds for 30 years, had been drinking from about 8am that day.

"At about 5.30pm we noticed he had become quite sullen. We got up to leave for the bus station and he knocked over a glass.

"Within five minutes me and Shaun had to carry him down to the bus station because he couldn't actually walk."

Mr Wilson said that when the friends reached the taxi rank Mr Carmichael was "kind of unconscious".

Dean's father Brian, who was with his young grandchild at the time, said: "When I saw Dean he was in the back of the taxi, face-up.

"I got hold of his arms and pulled him out. Shaun got his legs. We got him in to the hallway of my house and I laid him down. I said to Shaun, 'He's not breathing.' He was cold, absolutely freezing, and he was white."

Mr Carmichael said his son, who worked as a forklift-truck driver, had been in a steady relationship with a new girlfriend since 2007.

However, he had been involved in divorce proceedings and this "used to get him down a bit".

He said that, because of the problems he was having, his son drank more than he should have at weekends.

But when he met his new girlfriend he "steadied down quite a lot" and didn't drink so much. He even moved into her home in Goole in November, 2007 - just two weeks before he died.

Consultant pathologist Dr Lazlo Karsai, who carried out the post-mortem, confirmed that Mr Carmichael had died in the back of the cab on his way home. He said that during the post-mortem vomit was found in Mr Carmichael's throat and windpipe and that he had 396 milligrammes of alcohol in 100mls of blood - almost five times the legal drink-drive limit of 35mgs.

Dr Karsai said that although the level of alcohol in Mr Carmichael's body was very high, it was not normally enough in itself to kill someone used to drinking.

In the vast majority of cases, the amount of alcohol drunk by Mr Carmichael would lead to unconsciousness or coma.

However, because he had inhaled vomit which was blocking his airways - and because the alcohol levels were high enough to have a sedative effect on Mr Carmichael - he was unable to clear his airways by coughing, which is the body's automatic response to a blockage of the windpipe.

Mr Karsai said the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia due to vomit in the airways.

He added that Mr Carmichael was an otherwise perfectly healthy man.

Coroner Nicola Mundy recorded a verdict of accidental death.

* After the inquest Mr Carmichael's family paid tribute to the "fun-loving lad" who once dreamed of becoming a professional footballer.

Mr Carmichael's mother Pauline (61) said: "Dean was a fun-loving, kind man, and a great son. He was very popular and we never had an ounce of trouble with him.

"He'd supported Leeds since he was nine - I've still got his Leeds United pillowcase from when he was young."

Brian Carmichael, also 61, described his son as a "supreme athlete".

"When he was at school he trained with Hull City but they said he was too small," he said. "Then he began training with Leeds and they said the same thing."

Mr Carmichael added that his son, a highly-rated winger and striker, had lots of cups and medals" from his playing career.

Dean, who also left behind his younger brother Nigel, played for Goole Youth between the ages of 10 and 15.

In his older years he played for various Sunday-league teams in the area.

A fantastic athlete in his youth, he once smashed every track record at Vermuyden School, where he was educated.

"He was good at all sports - that's why he was so healthy," said Mr Carmichael.

Mr Carmichael's girlfriend said: "Dean was loving, funny, caring and adventurous. He was also a great stepdad to my little boy.

"He liked a laugh and a joke and his mates were his life. He had hundreds of friends."

Published on 27th March 2008 in News.

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