THE family of a Barrow grandad had to take the agonising decision to turn off his life support when he suffered a catastrophic brain injury after falling from a ladder.

John Burley had been doing some DIY at a house he was selling in Grosvenor Street, Barrow, on the morning of June 27 of this year.

The 70-year-old had been up a ladder doing some work at the front door when his wife Linda, who was inside the house, heard a bang.

“He hadn’t really wanted to go and do the work but there was a viewing later that day and we wanted to get it finished off,” Mrs Burley told an inquest.

“I didn’t see him fall but I heard it and I came out and found him on the ground.”

Mrs Burley said her husband at first tried to stand up but then fell back down again.

“I ran back inside to get something to stem the bleeding and the next-door neighbour rang the ambulance,” she added.

A statement from the first paramedic on the scene confirmed the ambulance arrived at 11.42am.

Medics said Mr Burley, a plumber by trade who was originally from Irvine in Scotland, had fallen approximately 10 feet and hit the back of his head on the concrete path.

As it was apparent Mr Burley had suffered a brain injury it was decided to request the air ambulance.

The on-board doctor intubated and sedated Mr Burley before he was flown to the major trauma centre at the Royal Preston Hospital.

Consultant neurosurgeon Arap Ray carried out a CT scan which revealed Mr Burley had suffered a traumatic bleed on the brain and a skull fracture.

“There was no immediate need for neurosurgical intervention,” Mr Ray said in a statement.

After draining some of the blood from Mr Burley’s skull and monitoring the inter cranial pressure doctors decided to attempt to reduce the sedation and bring him round.

The first attempt was carried out on June 29, two days after the accident, but doctors were concerned Mr Burley was not able to move the left hand side of his body and he was re-sedated.

On July 3 Mr Burley was again weaned off the sedation but he remained comatose.

Mr Ray said: “A CT scan on July 6 found no evidence to explain his prognosis.”

Doctors told Mr Burley’s family he must have suffered cellular brain damage and on July 9 they agreed to switch off his life support.

He passed away peacefully and pain-free with his family by his side later that day.

Coroner Kirsty Gomersal concluded Mr Burley’s cause of death was a traumatic brain injury.

“He was a much-loved husband, father and grandfather,” she said.

“He sustained an unwitnessed fall from a ladder and despite medical assistance and treatment he died at the hospital on July 9.

“He died due to a terrible accident.”