Mum was found dead face down outside the pub with empty wine bottles on Boxing Day

Victoria Cartwright was found face down next to a parking lot next to two bottles of wine. Unfortunately, although a rescuer tried to revive her, she could not be saved

A mum who had “everything to live for” was found dead outside a pub after contracting hypothermia, an inquest has found.

Victoria Cartwright, 36, had just been discharged from hospital days earlier and was staying at a nearby hotel that was used as a homeless shelter. A doctor warned her that she would need 24-hour care and that the hotel was unsuitable for her mental and physical health.

She was spotted by a passer-by lying face down outside the Ball and Boot pub, Wigan, on Boxing Day last year, the reports Manchester evening news.

She had been drinking “excessive” amounts of alcohol and taking sedatives before she developed hypothermia, an inquest has found. A hotel worker tried to revive her with a defibrillator, but she could not be saved.

The Bolton Coroner’s Court heard yesterday that Victoria has struggled to combat alcoholism for a number of years following the breakdown of her marriage and difficulties surrounding custody of her young son.

The qualified barber, from Bickershaw Lane, Wigan, had previously been referred to alcohol rehabilitation service We are With You in 2015, 2017 and 2018 before also completing a rehabilitation program in 2020.

She had been hospitalized on November 10 last year out of concern for her well-being, where Dr. Prasad, from the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, said she needed 24-hour care for alcohol-related brain damage. He added she was often “confused” and “struggled to take care of her personal grooming needs.”

Despite this, she was then released to the Mercure Hotel, which Dr. deemed Prasad unsuitable. She was then taken back to the hospital on December 21, where he said he reiterated the need for 24-hour care, but she was released by the hospital’s discharge team.

CCTV footage the night before her death, Christmas Day, showed Victoria getting out of a white car at around 8.35pm on Orchard Street, where she sat on a bench for a short time until around 8.42pm.

She was then “stumbled upon” on footage next to the pub’s car park, where she was only found the next morning lying face down on the ground with two bottles of wine by her side.

In testimony read in court, mother Jean Holt said her daughter has never suffered from any health problems and is “outgoing” and “outgoing” with “anything worth living for”.

It said: “She was an outgoing person with everything to live for. She did well with her job and loved hanging out with friends and going on vacations.

“Her problems started when her husband got a promotion at his job. That had a big impact on Victoria and she started drinking.”

The court heard the breakdown in their relationship and “custody arrangements” for their young son had “adverse effects” on their health.

Jean’s statement added: “I am very saddened by how she passed away and am trying to come to terms with how she acted in this way.”

The court heard from Dr. Baker, who performed an autopsy that confirmed she had found 460 mg of alcohol in her urine and “therapeutic” levels of a tranquilizer. He added that she was showing symptoms of hypothermia and that she had not been wearing appropriate clothing for the cold conditions.

Detective Inspector Lunt also testified in court about the morning Victoria’s body was found, saying paramedics found her “cold and wet at 9.04am on the side of the pub on some cobblestones with her handbag, a lighter and empty wine bottles”. .

He added: “She was wearing blue trousers and a jumper and was not wearing clothing appropriate to the weather conditions. She had struggled with alcoholism for several years and had previously been hospitalized as a result. She had a history of alcohol abuse and binge drinking to the point where she could no longer take care of herself.”

Laborer Daniel Fleming was informed of the body in the street by the public. He found her “cold to the touch” and “not breathing” but used a defibrillator to revive her.

Coroner Rachel Syed concluded the cause of death was accidental. She accepted the medical causes of death as hypothermia and alcohol poisoning.

She said: “Tragically, Victoria had to deal with a very long battle with alcohol abuse that came after her personal relationship collapsed. Autopsies showed that Victoria had developed hypothermia the night before her death from a condition of alcohol poisoning.

“I have no doubt that she drank excessively in the period leading up to her death. She had a complicated medical history, which resulted in many hospitalizations where she was often found on the streets, unable to take care of herself.

“She had completed the rehabilitation program but still couldn’t stay away from long-term drinking problems. An investigation revealed that she suffered from alcohol-related brain damage and would require 24-hour foster care.

“Nevertheless, she was released to a hotel and the psychiatrist was not notified. She was readmitted on December 21 and the doctor reiterated that she would need 24-hour care.”

She added that she will formally issue a report to the Wigan Hospital discharge team to prevent further deaths under Regulation 28 because she had “concerns” she was being discharged, despite repeated recommendations from Dr. Passad that Victoria needed 24-hour care.

She also raised concerns about the lack of integrated collaboration between other organizations involved and Wigan Infirmary staff following a multidisciplinary meeting where a recovery worker supporting Victoria from We Are With You said they had not been invited.