Sisters died after folding bed collapsed entombing them for four days

Two elderly sisters were killed when their folding bed collapsed while they were on holiday in Spain, an inquest has heard. Mildred Bowman, 62, and Alice Wardle, 68, were on holiday in Benidorm but became entombed under the collapsed bed for four days. The pair suffocated to death in August 2005.

A coroner ruled that the deaths could and should have been avoidable, after hearing evidence the bed had not been fitted properly. Investigators found that the bed was not lowered correctly by the sisters, causing the base to be tilted instead of horizontal with the bed unit on the wall. But the sisters had not been told how to lower it properly and there were no instructions in the room.

Screws and plugs on the bed’s wall storage unit were not fitted correctly, Gateshead Coroner Terence Carney heard. These gave way, causing the unit to collapse on top of the sisters as they slept. A Spanish investigation found that the rooms are cleaned on Mondays and Thursdays and that when the cleaner tried to gain entry to the room on the Monday, he couldn’t get in because the door was locked from the inside.



This was not considered suspicious because some guests didn’t want to be disturbed. But when the cleaner couldn’t get in again on the Thursday, a maintenance technician was called to gain entry and the sisters were found.

A post mortem examination concluded they died sometime between 11pm on the Wednesday and 2am on the Thursday. Giving a narrative verdict, Mr Carney concluded: "The deceased died as a consequence of being trapped for an indeterminate time by a collapsed bed unit and in circumstances that could and should have been avoided."

"But horror of horrors I think these ladies were trapped at least since Monday if not earlier," he added. "It horrifies me in many ways. I am sorry to have to come to this conclusion."