BOURNEMOUTH, ENG – A British woman was killed when an eco-friendly metal drinking straw impaled her through the eye after she fell in her kitchen, according to news reports.
Retired jockey Elena Struthers-Gardner, 60, was carrying a drink with a screw lid containing the metal straw in her home in Bournemouth, England, when she collapsed, causing the 10-inch stainless steel straw to pierce her left eyelid and her brain, USA Today reported.
She died two days later at a local hospital from the traumatic brain injury, the newspaper reported.
It’s unknown why Struthers-Gardner fell, but the Telegraph reported she had suffered from mobility issues since a riding fall when she was 21.
The accident occurred in November of 2018, but the coroner’s office released more details about it Monday.
Police investigated Struthers-Gardener’s death and Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour told the Telegraph it was “very unusual.”
“Medical staff had never seen an injury like that. They said is was unusual more than anything else,” Seymour said.
Stuthers-Gardener’s wife, Mandy Stuthers-Gardener, who was home when the accident happened and called 911, issued a warning about metal straws.
“I just feel that in the hands of mobility-challenged people like Elena, or children, or even able-bodied people losing their footing, these things are long and very strong,” she warned, according to the Telegraph.
“Even if they don’t end a life, they can be very dangerous.”
