UK woman dies after impaling herself on eco-friendly metal straw

A woman England reportedly died after a metal straw entered her to brain, an inquest has heard.

Elena Struthers-Gardner, 60, was carrying a drinking glass with a screw-top lid when she collapsed at her home in Poole, Dorset, in November last year.

The metal straw – held in place by the lid – entered her left eye and caused a fatal brain injury. The ex-jockey had had mobility problems since a riding accident when she was 21, and was prone to collapsing due to pain caused by spinal injuries.

Ms Struthers-Gardner's wife, Mandy, 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 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."

She added: "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."

Doctors at Southampton General Hospital were unable to help Ms Struthers-Gardner and her life support was switched off the next day.