A roofer who had weaned himself off his vertigo medication fell to his death while helping to prune back a tall tree, an inquest heard.
Craig McNulty – who was experienced at working at heights – had been helping to cut branches on the tree with his partner’s father, when he died on August 1 last year.
The 38-year-old fell, without making a sound, and landed on his feet on the concrete below, before falling back and hitting his head, suffering “catastrophic injuries”.
His inquest heard that in early 2011 the dad-of-one had taken a fall from 12ft-high scaffolding, suffering some injuries.
When he was examined by doctors he said he was worried because he had felt dizzy and blacked out.
A statement from his GP said he was referred to a neurologist and diagnosed as suffering from a form of vertigo for which he was prescribed medication.
At a follow-up appointment in February 2012, he told his doctor that he had felt dizzy and had blacked out again about five weeks earlier as he picked something up from the shower.
A month later Craig, of Batley, was “advised to stop working at heights” and advised to stop driving. Bradford Coroner’s Court heard that it was in June when Craig “admitted he had weaned himself off the medication and said he never felt better”.
In less than two months Craig had fallen from the tree at his home of partner, Sharon McNulty’s, sister.
Deputy coroner Oliver Longstaff said: “We know he had a history of blackouts and a history of a fall and he had been given medication to control any predilection to further falls. And we know he had stopped taking the medication.”
Acting Det Insp Matt Hawker told the court that there was no evidence that when Craig fell to the ground that he made any attempt at all to try and save himself.
Passing a verdict of accidental death, Mr Longstaff said: “It seems to me more likely than not that Mr McNulty had blacked out again before he fell.”