Discarded cigarette likely to have caused death of homeless man in burning car
A homeless man who died in the back of a burning car probably did so as the result of a discarded cigarette, a coroner has ruled.
Senior Black Country Coroner Zafar Siddique said he was satisfied there was no foul play regarding the death of 54-year-old Mark Palmer.
He was found after firefighters were called to deal with a burning Peugeot 306 car in a service road opposite Cradley Heath railway station, an inquest at Smethwick Council House was told.
Firefighters attended the scene at around 9.20pm on May 10, and police were called in after crews found Mr Palmer's body in the back of the vehicle.
Fire investigator Lee Richards of West Midlands Fire Service said the blaze had started inside the car.
Mr Palmer was found lying across the back seat of the car, and beneath him was a cigarette lighter.
There were also cigarette butts and empty beer and cider cans in the car.
He added there was no evidence of any accelerant having been used.
He added that Mr Palmer's position indicated he had made no attempt to get out of the car.
Pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt said Mr Palmer had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, exacerbated by pneumonia, which meant he had difficulty breathing.
Dr Hunt said the burns and smoke inhalation that Mr Palmer suffered during the were the most likely cause of death.
However, he added that his lung condition was so severe that it would have killed him if it remained untreated.
Det Insp Warren Hinds said the car which Mr Palmer died in had not been used for some time, and it its owner David Towler was planning to scrap it.
On the day of Mr Palmer's death, somebody told Mr Towler there was a man sleeping in his car, and Mr Towler made arrangements for the car to be removed.
However, when scrap merchant Jamie Danks came to remove the car around 7 o'clock that evening, the doors were locked, and there was a man asleep on the back seat.
Mr Danks and Mr Towler agreed they would leave the car for the night, and reconsider what to do in the morning.
Mr Siddique concluded that the primary cause of Mr Palmer's death were burns and smoke inhalation, with pneumonia-exacerbated chronic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease given as a secondary cause.
"A fire investigation took place, and there was no reported evidence of accelerant being used.
"The car was locked, and cigarettes and a cigarette lighter was found in the vehicle.
"I'm satisfied this was an accidental death, on the balance of probability due to a dropped cigarette."
