A dad of triplets died during a “lads and dads” trip with his family, after stumbling down the stairs, an inquest has heard.
Edward Sidgwick, 53, had been searching for his room at the four-star Dunston Hall Hotel near Norwich, Norfolk when he fell, causing his death. Norfolk’s Coroner’s Court heard how Edward had been drinking with his son Robert, 24, his brother, two nephews and three friends following a round of golf on June 15.
The group had a “debrief beer” in the bar of the golf club at the hotel for two hours before they headed to their rooms to get ready for an evening meal at 6 pm, reports the Mirror.
It’s believed that the much-loved family man fell after forgetting his room was on the ground floor, wrongly taking the lift upstairs.
The inquest heard how Mr Sidgwick of Stonea, Cambridgeshire, had earlier called his wife Joanna to tell her “what a great day they had all had”. Son Robert said: “The golf tour finally began with everyone raising a drink to a good day ahead.
“[During a round of golf] Dad had talked to his best mate about how happy he was with life and how proud he was of us, his boys, with our sporting achievements and our progression into adults. He described us as ‘mini Ted’s’.
“Then he spoke about Mum and how he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such a lovely wife. Finally, he talked about his older brother, who he loved dearly, just wanting him to have the same happiness he had. This was an annual golf trip which had gone on for more than 20 years, organised by dad. It was the first time the younger generation had been able to join in for a ‘lads and dads’ golf tour.”
The inquest heard from forensic toxicologist Dr Paul Smith, who explained that Mr Sidgwick had 278mg of alcohol in 100ml of his blood.
The legal limit to drive is 80mg. He added the alcohol “likely contributed to the fall.” Mr Sidgwick who was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, met his wife Joanna in 1986 when they worked together at TSB bank in Peterborough.
The pair began dating in 1993 and married in 1996, before having triplet sons Robert, Harry and Jack in 2000 when he moved his career to London.
Mrs Sidgwick said: “Apart from his work accomplishments, Ted was a hands-on dad and was immensely proud of the men our boys have become. He would be cheering them on from the side lines in the various sports they played and supported them with their academic achievements and in their subsequent jobs.
“He was a dedicated family man not only providing love and security for myself and our boys, but he also was in daily contact with his mother and brother who he helped enormously following the passing of his father.”
Assistant coroner Christopher Leach recorded a conclusion Mr Sidgwick’s death was alcohol-related. Mr Leach said: “Mr Sidgwick was a committed family man who was clearly dedicated to and proud of his loving family.
“It was during the course of a family event Mr Sidgwick sadly passed away. Mr Sidgwick’s fatal head injury was most likely due to the fall sustained around the time of death and that high alcohol levels rather than some other medical condition or an accident had likely contributed to the fall.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.