Popular teacher, 61, falls down hotel stairs and dies after drinking wine on day of her mother's funeral

 

• Sue Philippart was heading to bed with her partner when she fell down the stairs
• She had been staying at the Norton House Hotel in Swansea for the funeral
• Sue and partner Mansel Usher were heading to bed when she fell down the stairs

A popular teacher has died after falling down a set of stairs at a hotel after drinking wine on the day of her mother's funeral, an inquest was told.

Sue Philippart, 61, had been drinking wine and relaxing with friends in Swansea after her mother, Gerry's, funeral service before returning to the Norton House Hotel for further drinks  with her brother and partner Mansel Usher.

Sue Philippart, 61, (pictured) died after falling down narrow stairs at the Norton House Hotel in Swansea

Sue had been described as 'very tired' after dealing with the 'stress and fatigue' of the service.

When Mansel and Sue went to bed on March 10, she fell down a flight of narrow stairs and suffered massive head injuries.

She died two weeks later from her injuries - only months before she had been set to retire from teaching at St Joseph's Primary School in Swansea, where she had worked for 28 years.

+4

Sue (middle) fell down the stairs after the funeral service for her mother Gerry (left). She had been drinking with friends after the service and had shared a few more with her partner Mansel Usher and her brother. Pictured right: Sue's father Chris

Speaking at a hearing at Swansea Guildhall, PC Mike Jenkins said: 'It is believed that she stayed in the bar until about 11.30pm to 11.45pm, when she made her way to her room.

'Mr Usher says the stairs were very narrow so they walked up in single file.

'He looked back to check to see she was OK only to find her on the floor unconscious. He did not hear her fall.

'It seems she lost her footing and fell backwards down the stairs but it was unwitnessed and there is no CCTV on the staircase.

'The fall was not deemed suspicious and police were not called to attend.'

+4

Sue died in hospital from a traumatic head injury two weeks after the fall, in March, this year. Pictured: Sue with one of her daughter's, Rebecca

Senior Swansea Coroner Colin Phillips also spoke at the hearing and said: 'She died as a consequence of an unwitnessed fall down the stairs at Norton House Hotel, in Mumbles, which occurred on March 10 just before midnight.

'The ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital the next day.

'It was a tragic and accidental death.'

Sue died in hospital from a traumatic head injury, two weeks after falling down the stairs.

In a tribute, Sue's daughter Sarah Lee said: 'She was beautiful, very warm and friendly, she did a lot for the community.

+4

Sue had worked at St Joseph's Primary School in Swansea for the last 28 years. She fell down the hotel stairs only months before she had planned to retire

'She did a lot for Catholic Agency For Overseas Development. She went out to Zambia a couple of times on a teaching exchange programme.'

Sarah Lee had been staying in Singapore when she heard about her mother's fall and she managed to fly back to the UK and stay with her for a week.

'It's been awful,' she said. 'This is the last thing we would expect especially so close to her mother passing away.

'We had so many plans as a family, she was meant to come out to Singapore and she was just about to retire.

'She had all these plans, she was going to downsize and get a little cottage and travel the world and do more work for Cafod so it's really tragic.'

Sue's father Chris Mcneff, 84, also paid tribute to his daughter.

He said: 'My wife has also died, one minute I'm fine and the next it's the question of I'm not too good.

'Susan was very generous, loving and helpful. We are coping thanks to the kindness, empathy and sympathy we have received from all of our friends.'