A MOTORBIKE accident more than 20 years ago contributed to the death of a 54-year-old wheelchair-bound Dursley man last December, an inquest was told.

Stephen Robinson of The Craven, Cam, Dursley died of cardio-respiratory failure after pressing the panic button at his specially-adapted bungalow on December 16, last year, an inquest at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court heard.

When paramedics arrived they found Mr Robinson sitting slumped in his wheelchair with his head resting on his bed, said assistant coroner for Gloucestershire, Caroline Saunders.

“He suffered devastating injuries after he rode his motorbike into a wall in 1997,” she said. “He had multiple fractures and spinal injuries and has been a paraplegic since 1999.”

Ms Saunders said that medical evidence concluded that his original accident injuries contributed to his death.

A toxicology examination found that Mr Robinson had consumed a significant amount of alcohol prior to his death.

Giving a narrative conclusion, Ms Saunders said: “The 1997 motorbike accident in which he suffered from severe spinal injuries led to his paraplegia and repeated infections and paraplegics are known to suffer from problems with the lungs. The actual cause of death was cardio-respiratory failure which was caused by his paraplegia.”