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woman who went to offer her husband a cup of tea as he trimmed their garden hedge found him dying from a huge gash caused by the chainsaw, an inquest heard.
Malcolm Haywood, 66, died in the back garden of his home in Doncaster Way, Upminster after falling from a ladder while holding a mechanical hedge-cutter, the Romford Recorder reported.
His wife Susan discovered the “horrific scene” when she went out to offer her husband a cup of tea on March 22, said coroner Graeme Irvine.
Mrs Haywood, who attempted CPR, told Waltham Forest Coroners Court on Wednesday she wished she had found her husband sooner.
“He came in for lunch and everything was fine,” said Mrs Haywood as reported by the Romford Recorder.
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“Obviously he went back into the garden and I was pottering indoors, but I didn’t realise the difficulty he had got into.”
His brother John said in a statement: “His passing has left a large void in our lives.”
A police investigation launched into Mr Haywood’s tragic death quickly ruled out foul play, the court heard.
Mr Irvine assured Mrs Haywood – who regretted not finding her husband sooner- “there was nothing more that could be done” due to the severity of his injury.
The coroner recorded a conclusion of accidental death, giving the cause as hypovolemic shock caused by loss of blood, the Romford Recorder reported.
The horror accident came just months into Mr Haywood’s retirement after a lifetime working as a mechanic including a period for Tower Hamlets council.
“To lose him in such a way must really compound the grief and I am terribly sorry for your loss,” Mr Irvine told his family. “You are very much in my thoughts.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/upminster-malcolm-haywood-hedge-inquest-london-b1013902.html
