Former pit worker shot himself over health worries
A former pit-worker died after suffering complications from a suicide attempt where he shot himself in the face, a court heard.
Donald Jones had a metal plate in his face after shooting himself with a shotgun at his home in Gornal, on April 9, over fears he was falling ill.
The following month, the 80-year-old attended Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital with severe haemorrhaging behind the plate, and later went into cardiac arrest.
After several attempts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead on May 23.
Kelvin Jones, Mr Jones' son, said he had taken his father to the doctors and was due to have an appointment at the hospital the day after he shot himself.
His son said: "He had his ups and downs, but he thought there was something the matter with him because he had been passing blood.
"He'd had an appointment on the Thursday with his doctors, and received a letter on the Sunday for another appointment the following Thursday, and it happened on the Wednesday.
"He was very alert mentally. There was nothing wrong with him.
"Sometimes he could be stubborn. He knew his own mind 100 per cent.
"He worked down the pits for a while and for the last 20 years before he retired he worked in a brickyard.
"He was always laughing. He was just a really nice chap."
Patrick Barnes-Jones, from West Midlands Ambulance Service, attended the scene on April 9.
He said: "We had responded to a report of someone in the street covered in blood.
"It became evident that he had shot himself. He was completely conscious and we had to keep him upright to stop the blood from blocking his airway. I did ask him what had happened and he said he had tried to end it all."
The inquest heard that Mr Jones, of Roberts Green Road, was a keen sportsman, and enjoyed game shooting, but had not officially owned a gun since 2007.
DC Simon Pittaway said: "We found a single-barrelled Harrington and Richardson shotgun. There was blood in the sitting room where he had been treated, and also a lot of blood on the bottom two steps of the stairs, where I believe he had shot himself."
Robin Balmain, senior coroner for the Black Country, said: "This is very sad. I am satisfied there was no third party involved and Mr Jones shot himself."
He ruled that Mr Jones died from a cardiac arrest due to severe haemorrhaging due to a previous gunshot.