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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Liam Buckler

Man left in wheelchair after drunken waterpark accident took own life, inquest hears

A man left in a wheelchair after a drunken waterpark accident took his own life just six months later, an inquest heard.

Forklift driver Barry Douglas, 44, broke both his legs after sneaking into the lido with a friend at 2am and crashing into the barrier of a closed flume tube.

The "life-changing" injuries left Barry, from Dundee, unable to work as he could not drive, forcing him to move house.

The hearing in Winchester, heard that Barry, had moved to Aldershot with his stepfather at the age of 20 and had set up a stable life for himself.

Despite some signs his condition was improving, Scottish-born Douglas took his own life in his studio flat in February of this year, the inquest was told.

Claire Vickers and Barry Douglas appeared on This Morning to talk about their actions (S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The Glasgow Rangers fan had been working as a forklift truck driver up until the time of his accident on the water slide.

The inquest heard that in August 2021 having consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, Barry made the "impulsive" decision with Claire to break into Aldershot Lido.

When the pair went down the water slide they slammed into a steel barrier that was blocking the end and sustained serious injuries.

Reports at the time said they were then trapped for two hours before being rescued.

Barry made the 'impulsive' decision with Claire to break into Aldershot Lido (Daily Record)

Both Barry and friend, Claire Vickers, 46, appeared on ITV's This Morning in wheelchairs to talk about the incident.

The inquest was also told that Douglas had a history of taking recreational drugs including cocaine and heroine.

He had also spent a short time drug dealing and was stabbed in 2011, the inquest heard.

Barry began experiencing a "low mood" and was known to drink between 500ml-1L of vodka a day, the inquest was told.

His GP told the hearing that he had been prescribed anti-depressants following his lido accident.

His mother, Ruth Douglas told the inquest that he had been "desperate" to get back to work after the accident.

Douglas died in his studio flat in February of this year, the inquest was told (Tony Kershaw / SWNS)

She added that doctors had told Barry that it might take "up to two years" to get his mobility back and that he was worried about "being crippled."

Barry's friends, having not heard from him for several days, contacted his tenant welfare officer who found him hanged in his flat in Aldershot in February 2022, the inquest heard.

A post-mortem report read to the court stated that Barry had consumed a significant amount of alcohol before his death.

Senior Coroner for Hampshire Christopher Wilkinson said that there was 'no clear explanation' for why Barry took his own life.

Mr Wilkinson: "He set himself up here in the UK. He started to consume alcohol to a greater extent and had been using street drugs.

"His [water slide] injuries were, in my opinion, life-changing. In his last few days there had been some hope that he was returning to work and was driving again.

"There was also a possibility that he was moving to other accommodation. It's regrettable that I cannot establish what he was thinking."

"He took his own life impulsively under the influence of alcohol," Mr Wilkinson added.

The coroner recorded a conclusion of suicide.

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.

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