Marathon man died after falling on spike

A marathon runner died after falling on to a spike as he tried to climb over his own gate going home from a night out, an inquest heard.

Father-of-three Mark Perry punctured his leg as he scaled the 8ft metal gate before falling to the ground outside his house in Oldbury Road, Rowley Regis, severing a blood vessel and sending his body into shock. The 36-year-old, a member of Cobra Running and Triathlon Club in Halesowen, was found at around 6.30am the next morning by his devastated wife Emma.

He was confirmed dead when paramedics arrived at the scene. Police were also called and forensic investigations found blood on top of one of the spikes on the gate where he had caught his leg.

The inquest heard how a neighbour had heard a man "moaning and groaning" in the early hours of the morning but did not go out to check on him because her husband would not let her.

Smethwick Coroner's Court was yesterday told how the warehouse manager had been drinking heavily on a night out with his nephew in Sedgley and had suffered cuts and bruises in a fight with a large group of men as they waited to get a taxi home near The Clifton pub in the early hours of October 31 last year.

His nephew Adam Aldridge, of Newhall Road in Rowley Regis, said they had been round a few pubs and said his uncle was drunk but could still walk and talk fine.

He said they had been attacked by a group of about 10 men but Mark was laughing about it by the time they got a taxi and was not seriously injured, despite suffering a cut to the back of the head. The men responsible have never been traced.

Black Country coroner Robin Balmain said the medical cause of death was shock and external haemorrhage due to a blood vessel injury caused by the puncture wound, and added the fight was not a factor.

"It would appear that for some reason he chose to climb over the gate outside his house instead of going through it in the normal way. It is a very high gate and he has clearly slipped and suffered this horrendous injury."

Mr Balmain recorded a verdict of accidental death.