Accident verdict on fatal fall from roof

AN Oldham man’s 35ft fall to his death while working to make extra money for Christmas has been ruled an accident after a five-day inquest.

A jury heard Jason Fogarty (24) climbed from a ladder on to the roof while labouring for his fiancee’s stepfather in Honey Street, near Strangeways prison on December 22, 2013. He lost his balance and fell.

The inquest had previously heard that Mr Fogarty suffered from Glycogen Storage Disease Type III, which can cause dizziness. A pathologist said the cause of death was multiple internal injuries and his rare condition.

Giving the verdict, the jury foreman said there was no evidence of the condition contributing to the fall, but the disease had enlarged Mr Fogarty’s liver and this ruptured on impact.

Afterwards, Jason’s fiancee Natasha Sorsby, said: “He was an amazing father and partner. I will always tell his children how amazing he was and how much he loved them.”

The couple had been engaged for a year and together for three, and Miss Sorby only found out she was pregnant two weeks before his death.