An inquest heard that a man accidentally hanged himself while playing a prank that ended in disaster. The 36-year-old Philip Burns, who was allegedly attempting to frighten his fiancée after they had watched an episode of American Horror Story, according to the Daily Mail.
Burns, a dry lining worker from Cumbria in the United Kingdom (UK), was attempting to attract Michelle Delahunty-Evans, his partner. When she turned around to discover Philip hanging with his back to the living room door, she told the audience that she had been singing along to the TV at their house.
Later, Evans was able to obtain assistance, but it was too late to save Burns.
An unresponsive man was located on the floor, and CPR was being performed, according to a police constable who was rushed to the scene.
According to the official, Delahunty-Evans was “shocked” by what had happened, but was also “intoxicated.” A toxicology report found that there were high levels of alchol in his blood as well as traces of cocaine.
Coroner Dr. Nicholas Shaw stated at the hearing that it was difficult for him to accept Burns’ suicide.
“If someone is found hanging, you initially think they have committed suicide. Philip has no mental health history, no history of self-harm. He had been out for a night out and seems to have had a good time. People don’t generally take their lives when people are in the same room at the same time. I find it hard to believe he has taken his own life. I’m more inclined to think that because they were playing around, I suspect this is something he has done that has gone wrong,” Dr Shaw said.
Dr Shaw concluded that Burns died by misadventure, with a medical cause of death as hanging, further saying in part: “After a long period of trouble, Philip Burns had turned his life around. He was taking steps to lead a more stable and balanced life. He was working. He had plans for the future. I’m happy with a conclusion of misadventure”