Woman who survived three suicide attempts choked to death on piece of chicken

A woman whose life was on the up after three suicide attempts choked to death on a piece of chicken. Linda Bernard was preparing lunch for friends a week before her 43rd birthday when she tasted a piece of meat and collapsed on the kitchen floor.

Her guests did not call for help for five minutes as they tried to revive her and when paramedics did finally arrive they could not resuscitate her. Speaking after the inquest into the bookkeeper’s death, her boyfriend of three years, Stephen Tanns, 48, said: “It’s so ironic. I saved her life three times after she had overdosed and tried to hang herself.”


Photo from here.

Explaining that she had beaten depression, he added: “She was happy, excited about going away on holiday to Tenerife.” Mr Tann of Croydon, South London, added: “I spoke to her 20 minutes before and said I was on my way home and it’s been harder to deal with because of the way she went.”

After arriving home to find the paramedics fighting to save her life in March this year, he went on: “I just had to sit there and watch. She had everything to live for and I felt like I had saved her.” Coroner Dr Roy Palmer recorded a verdict of accidental death on Ms Bernard at the inquest in Croydon.