Bristol Man Dies in Ladder Fall While Hanging Union Jack

Paul John Lumber, a 61-year-old painter and decorator from Bristol, died from head injuries sustained in a fall from a ladder while attaching a Union Jack flag to a lamppost near his home, an inquest has concluded.

The incident occurred on the evening of November 22 last year in Duckmoor Road, South Bristol. Lumber, a lifelong resident of the city and devoted supporter of Bristol City Football Club, had attended a match earlier that day. According to statements presented at Avon Coroners Court, he returned home around 7:30 p.m. after consuming several alcoholic drinks. He then retrieved his work ladder from his van and set out to erect flags on neighborhood lampposts.

Neighbors heard a loud bang shortly after and discovered Lumber unconscious on the ground beside the ladder, with a head injury visible. They immediately called emergency services. His wife, Michelle, was alerted by the sound of sirens and found paramedics treating him at the scene, where one Union Jack flag had already been secured to a nearby lamppost. Paramedics' notes indicated that Lumber had left home specifically to put up the patriotic displays around the area.

Lumber was rushed to Southmead Hospital, where...