A Widnes dad had finished work and was looking forward to Christmas with his young family when a cocaine overdose cut short his life.
Calvin James Scott, 38, became ill at home on Lugsdale Road, Widnes, after going to bed having completed a 10-day stint working as a driver on December 7 last year, an inquest at Warrington Coroner’s Court was told.
Quoting a statement from his long-term partner Kelly Jones, Heath Westerman, acting coroner for Cheshire, said Mr Scott had 19 days booked off, which would have taken him across Christmas and into the New Year.
The couple had met while Mr Scott was a security guard and had been together 17 years, with a young daughter.
Quoting Miss Jones’s statement, Mr Westerman said: “He had worked a 10-day spell and was in a happy mood when he finished work and was looking forward to having 19 days off over Christmas and New Year.”
Miss Jones was aware that Mr Scott occasionally took cocaine to relax after work but he was not addicted, she said.
She said he had been tired after finishing work and went to bed at about 7pm, and said Mr Scott “couldn’t keep still” and he said he “wanted a line of cocaine”.
A short time later she noticed his “leg was shaking” and he suffered a seizure.
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Miss Jones called an ambulance and put him in the recovery position.
Mr Scott was "very poorly" when paramedics arrived and tried to resuscitate him for 40 to 45 minutes, but they were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead.
Detective Sergeant Rob McLoughlin visited the scene and ruled out foul play and suspicious circumstances.
A blood test toxicology report completed by toxicologist Nicola Martin found a low concentration of alcohol in Mr Scott’s system and an off-the-shelf stomach acid remedy.
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However, tests also detected cocaine and a main metabolite indicating “excessive use of cocaine recently prior to death”.
Dr Jasna Krajacevic, pathologist, completed a post-mortem on December 10 and reported that Mr Scott had no record of major illness but had recently reported chest pain and headaches but did not seek medical attention, and his partner said he had experienced pains in his arms.
Dr Krajacevic recorded the medical cause of death as cocaine toxicity.
Mr Westerman quoted a statement from Mr Scott's mother Janet Roza, who described her son as a "happy-go-lucky lad" who "was "looking forward to his Christmas break", although she had "no idea about his drug use".
The coroner recorded a conclusion that Mr Scott’s death was drug related and the cause of death was cocaine toxicity.
He read his condolences to Mr Scott’s friends and family into the record.
Mr Scott worked as a driving operative and was born in Liverpool in 1981.
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