Dad found dead in Runcorn after arthritis pain ended career
The 57-year-old welder had seemed to be in the "best spirits" when last seen by family in the weeks before his death, an inquest heard.
A general view of Old Quay Street in Runcorn. (Google)
A welder who “always had a smile on his face” took his own life after painful arthritis led him to stop work and become “isolated”, an inquest heard.
Wayne Griffiths, 57, was found dead at home on Old Quay Street in Runcorn shortly after 6.45pm on January 9 this year after his family raised a “concern for welfare” report with the police.
An inquest at Warrington Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, October 11, heard Wayne was on the floor in his bedroom in the first floor flat
Paramedics arrived soon after and confirmed Wayne was deceased.
A search of the flat found it was relatively tidy although medication was nearby.
CID and crime scene investigators attended and concluded there were “no suspicious circumstances”.
Toxicology tests indicated “excessive” consumption of painkillers in Wayne’s system.
A statement from his general practitioner Dr Rachel Millerchip said Wayne was prescribed co-codamol since 2005 due to osteoarthritis pain, and he had more recently reported respiratory and kidney problems in the time leading up to his death.
He had also suffered a broken fibula - the rear lower leg bone.
A written statement from Wayne’s sister Tracy Edge said her brother had told her before Christmas he had tested positive for Covid-19, but followed up when this reverted to negative.
She said Wayne had attended All Saints Parish Primary School before heading to high school and then qualifying and working as a welder, which he had enjoyed.
Wayne “always had a smile on his face” and had a son who lived in Australia.
He had lived alone for the last three or four years.
She said her brother had begun “to suffer with his knees and back” and this led to him stopping work, and he “tended not to be as happy and to isolate himself”.
He wasn’t a drinker.
Describing how he was when Tracy saw him at the end of December, she said: “He was the best he ever was, his morale was high and he had a smile on his face.”
There was some contact when he said he had Covid and then again after his negative test, but Tracy received no reply when she sent a subsequent text and “his neighbours were concerned” so she sent her son round and Tracy “found out he had passed away”.
Remembering her brother, she said: “He always used to have a smile on his face.
It’s times like these I miss having Wayne around.”
She added he was a “brother I could always rely on”.
Claire Welch, coroner for Cheshire, returned a conclusion that Wayne Griffiths, born in Whiston in 1964, took his own life and was found dead at home on Old Quay Street in Runcorn, Cheshire, on January 9.
The coroner said this was “despite the absence of any signs he was having suicidal ideation”.
Ms Welch reiterated her condolences to the bereaved, and said that Wayne having appeared in the “best spirits” in the weeks prior to death must make the “pain more difficult”.
A variety of support is available online for anyone affected by the issues in this article.
Founded in November 2011, Pain UK is an incorporated charitable organisation that supports charities dealing with different types of chronic pain.
Halton Borough Council's website also hosts an extensive directory of mental health and other services online at halton.gov.uk
