Christmas tragedy of young mum

KELLY SHAW

A FUN-loving and popular mother of two died of pneumonia only hours after opening Christmas presents with her family an Oldham inquest heard.

Kelly Shaw (27) of Whitecroft Avenue, Shaw, was found slumped in bed on Boxing Day by Ian Wells, her partner of five years.

She had been sleeping on a mattress on the living room floor because a back injury had left her in agony and unable to climb the stairs.

A week before her death Kelly had tripped over her pet cat and hit her back on a table.

A machinist at manufacturing firm Platt and Hill since leaving school, Kelly was prescribed anti-inflammatoriess and painkillers, including tramadol, for the injury and was also taking other painkillers and medicine for a cough and chest infection.

On Christmas Eve, Kelly visited her mother Patricia Senior at her home in Glodwick and was in so much pain she couldn’t get out of the car. next day she reported feeling better.

On Christmas Day, Mr Wells visited family members while Kelly rested. The couple opened presents with children Brandon and Chantel when he returned.

Mr Wells said Kelly had seemed to be getting better when they went to bed but when he woke on Boxing Day her head had slipped off the side of the mattress and he couldn’t revive her.

A post mortem showed Kelly had a high level of tramadol in her system, which pathologist Dr Naomi Carter believed could have speeded up the progress of the chest infection which had developed into pneumonia.

Dr Carter recorded Kelly’s cause of death as pneumonia, with tramadol a contributory factor.

Coroner Simon Nelson said he couldnt be certain Kelly had taken her medicine in accordance with the prescription guidelines — but if she had taken too many, it was an attempt to rid herself of pain, not to take her life.

Mr Nelson concluded that Kelly had died from natural causes, with an excessive amount of prescribed medication as a contributory factor.