Mum fell to her death from 10th floor flat after telling hospital staff she’d throw herself from window if sent home
A YOUNG mum fell to her death from her 10th-floor flat just hours after warning hospital staff she would throw herself from a window if they sent her home, an inquest has heard.
Abigail Pinhorne had asked to be admitted when attending A&E – having “frequently stated” she would leap from the tower block, a hearing was told.
But the 24-year-old was discharged before falling from her flat in Southampton and was then found by a passing security guard.
She was still conscious when emergency services arrived to take her to Southampton General Hospital.
But the mum-of-one died ten days later after multiple surgeries – including having both legs amputated.
Her mum today told Winchester Coroner’s Court that “no one else was interested” in keeping her daughter safe.
Leona Pinhorne suggested mental health workers found Abigail’s lack of co-operation “frustrating” and speculated that admitting her would be “taking up space”.
Abigail suffered from emotionally unstable personality disorder – also known as EUPD – and her mum said she was “devastated” by her grandmother’s sudden death in 2016.
Hampshire area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp told the hearing Abigail had seemed “fragile” in the lead-up to her death in June 2021.
The coroner said: “Abigail went to the emergency department on June 6.
“She said if she wasn’t admitted to hospital, she would die.
“After being assessed by psychiatrists she was discharged home and not long afterwards she very sadly jumped from her 10th-floor flat, sustaining very serious injuries which led to her death.”
In a statement read to the court, Abigail’s mother said: “As a family we tried to to keep Abi safe – it appears no one else was interested.”
The family were “initially excited” when Abigail got her own flat in the Hightown Towers building.
But her mother said she became “institutionalised” by a stay at Southampton mental health facility Antelope House.
Mrs Pinhorne said: “After being removed from the window ledge on several occasions, this hope became fear and we became worried about her safety.”
The inquest heard Abigail presented herself to Southampton Hospital at about 6pm on June 6 2021 after a suspected Ibuprofen overdose.
She was “asking to be be admitted”, the inquest heard, before being discharged home on the night ahead of her fatal fall.
Mrs Pinhorne claimed staff found her daughter “frustrating” as she did not want to “join in” with psychology treatment and “would just be taking up bed space”.
Dr Steve Halford – a consultant in emergency medicine at University Hospitals Southampton – told the hearing Abigail was a high-intensity user with “at least” 10 attendances at the A&E department over the space of a year.
He said it was felt EUPD patients “don’t always benefit from being admitted to a bed”.
The inquest heard Abigail died on June 17 after “multiple traumatic injuries” sustained from falling from a “great height”.
Paying tribute to her daughter, Mrs Pinhorne said: “Abi’s daughter Amelia will now grow up without seeing her mum again.
“Abi was so proud of her and would have loved being there for her first day of school, her first boyfriend. She’ll never see her grandchildren.
“I just can’t believe someone in the care of so many died in such a horrific way.
“The night the police knocked on the door I knew my worst nightmare had come true.”
The inquest continues.
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
- Movember, www.uk.movember.com
- Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm