Football legend Sir Bobby Charlton died after suffering broken ribs during a fall at a care home, an inquest has heard.
The Manchester United icon, 86, lost his balance as he stood up from his chair and struck a window sill and ‘possibly a radiator’, Cheshire Coroners Court heard.
Staff performed a full-body check at the time and noted no visible injuries, and recorded the World Cup winner mobility seemed unaffected.
But they later noticed swelling on his back and paramedics were called to The Willows in Knutsford Cheshire, where he’d been receiving respite care since July.
He was then taken to the local hospital before being moved to Macclesfield General Hospital.
A chest X-ray and CT scan revealed he’d fractured his ribs and was likely to develop pneumonia.
Doctors agreed that he should be put on end-of-life care at the hospital, the inquest heard. He passed away on October 21, five days after his fall, at the age of 86.
It was heard that Sir Bobby was ‘unsteady on his feet, especially when standing from a seated position’ as a result of his living with dementia.
The inquest, held in Warrington, heard Sir Bobby had an extensive medical history, which included an appendix removal, gout, a urine infection and chest infections.
The inquest heard he had also contracted Covid-19 in September.
Tamara Simmons, manager at the care home, said Sir Bobby ‘needed support with all aspects of daily living.’
The inquest heard his bed was as close to the ground as possible, with crash mats and motion sensors in place due to his restlessness making him likely to roll out of bed.
Coroner Devonish ruled that Sir Bobby’s death was accidental.
She gave his cause of death as: Traumatic haemopneumothorax; A fall; Alzheimer’s/dementia.
Tributes poured in from across football and public life for the “giant of the game” after Sir Bobby’s death was announced.
The son of a miner, he joined United as a schoolboy and was part of the iconic Busby Babes team.
He survived the Munich air disaster when the plane taking them back to Manchester crashed, killing 23 people including eight players and three staff members.
A decade on, he was part of the great United team that won the European Cup in 1968.
He was also part of England’s legendary 1966 World Cup winning team alongside his older brother Jack.
Sir Bobby, who won 106 caps for the Three Lions, scoring 49 goals, was diagnosed with dementia in 2020.
A memorial service will be held in tribute for the football legend. The service will take place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday, November 13 at 2pm.
The procession to the cathedral will also pass by Old Trafford where fans will be able to say a final farewell. Further details of the service being announced in due course. Charlton’s family have requested privacy around the arrangements for a private funeral ceremony.
