A retired jockey died when she fell onto an eco-friendly metal drinking straw which impaled her eye and pierced her brain, an inquest heard today.
Elena Struthers-Gardner, who was known as 'Lena', was carrying a mason-jar style drinking glass with a screw-top lid in her kitchen when she collapsed.
As she fell, the 10ins stainless steel straw entered the 60-year-old's left eye socket and pierced her brain.
She suffered horrific brain injuries in the freak accident at her home in Broadstone, Poole, Dorset.
Her wife said she found her lying on the floor with the straw sticking into her head.
Today a coroner, prompted by the family, said metal drinking straws should never be used with a lid that fixes them in place, and 'great care should be taken' while using them.
They have increased in popularity to replace single-use plastic straws since David Attenborough's Blue Planet drew attention to the pollution of our oceans, with the UK alone throwing away 8.5 billion of them every year.
The accident took place on the evening of November 22 last year.
In a statement read out by the coroner, her wife of four years Mandy Struthers-Gardner said: "I did not hear her fall.
"I went to the kitchen door and could see Lena lying on her front at the doorway between the den (a room where she watched TV) and the kitchen.
"She was making unusual gurgling sounds.
"Her glass cup was lying on the floor still intact and the straw was still in the jar.
"I noticed the straw was sticking into her head. I called 999 and requested an ambulance.
"While I was on the phone, Lena appeared to have stopped breathing. The lady on the phone asked me to turn her over.
"I slid the glass off the straw and turned her over. I could see the straw had gone through her left eye."
Mrs Struthers-Gardner was rushed to Southampton General Hospital, Hampshire.
Her wife continued: "I was quickly informed that due to the severity of her injury it was very unlikely she would survive.
"We saw a couple of specialists and were told there was nothing they could do."
Mrs Struthers-Gardner's life support was switched off, and she died the next day on November 23.
She had suffered with mobility difficulties following a horse riding accident when she was 21-years-old, the inquest heard.
Following a reduction in her high levels of fentanyl pain medication, she had become alcohol dependant.
In the months leading up to her death, she had been drinking around half a litre of vodka a day, mixed with orange juice, from the mason jar cup, using the metal straws which were a birthday gift.
Due to severe pain from her riding accident, which caused multiple fractures to Mrs Struthers-Gardner's lumbar spine and caused scoliosis, she was prone to falling over, collapsing 'like a sack of potatoes' at random intervals, her wife added.
Dr David Parham, who carried out her post-mortem examination, said the cause of death was a traumatic brain injury, after the straw pierced 'through her left eyelid and left eyeball'.
Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, who carried out an investigation into the death after Bournemouth police were called by the hospital, said the case was very unusual.
He said: "Medical staff had never seen an injury like that. They said it was unusual more than anything else."
Reading a statement to the inquest, Robin Struthers, Mrs Struthers-Gardner's brother, called for the coroner to comment on how easy it is to purchase metal straws, adding: "These straws can very easily be lethal."
Mandy Struthers-Gardner added: "I just feel that in the hands of mobility challenged people like Elena, or children, or even able-bodied people losing their footing, these things are so long and very strong.
"Even if they don't end a life they can be very dangerous."
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, assistant coroner Brendan Allen said: "There is insufficient evidence to explain how Lena came to fall.
"It does not allow me to conclude that any reduction in fentanyl cause Lena's fall.
"There was no alcohol present in the urine sample so intoxication did not contribute to the fall."
He added: "Clearly great care should be taken taken when using these metal straws.
"There is no give in them at all. If someone does fall on one and it's pointed in the wrong direction, serious injury can occur.
"It seems to me these metal straws should not be used with any form of lid that holds them in place.
"It seems the main problem here is if the lid hadn't been in place the straw would have moved away."
Speaking after the inquest, Mandy Struthers-Gardner said: "I miss her very much, she was taken far too early.
"I hope this never happens to anyone else."
