Injured man died while comforting wife killed in fall

Jan and Maria Ziemba, aged 94 and 89, were found in their Berkeley Road home on November 26, after police broke down their door following calls from concerned neighbours.
In a statement read out at yesterday’s (Wednesday) inquest, Shirley Stacks, a friend of the couple for 55 years, said that she used to visit the pair twice a week to help out.
She said that a few days before, she had gone round but there was no answer and all the doors were locked. She returned on the morning of Sunday, November 25, but there was no sign of the couple.
She asked a neighbour, Paul Fisher, to help out, but with still no answer, they called 999.
Mrs Ziemba was pronounced dead at home, and Mr Ziemba, who was found lying beside his wife, died the next day at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
The pair had had various health problems in the past – Mr Ziemba had signs of dementia and Mrs Ziemba had mobility issues, leg ulcers, heart problems and diabetes.
Ms Stacks said: “I don’t think Jan would know what to do if he found Maria in some way hurt. I don’t think he would know how to dial 999. I think he would just sit there and stare at her. He was so reliant on her.”
After an investigation, police ruled out any third party involvement.
Pc Richard Hughes, of Newbury police station, said in a statement that after breaking down the door, they found a woman slumped on the floor, a man lying face down next to her with a cut to his head.
There were traces of dried blood on the inside of the front door and scrunched up tissue with blood in the bin.
On the staircase, they found a candle holder, glasses, an earring and slippers.
A statement read out by the police at the inquest said that the investigations could only speculate that Mrs Ziemba had fallen down the stairs and on to her husband who then struck his head.
The statement continued that Mr Ziemba had wiped his head with the tissues found in the bin and then dragged his wife into the living room, made her comfortable and waited to be found.
A newspaper found in the house was dated November 22, a night when there had been a power cut.
Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford recorded a verdict of accidental death for Mr Ziemba who died from injuries after lying on the floor for a prolonged time, as well as various underlying health issues.
A verdict of natural causes was given for Mrs Ziemba, as the post-mortem examination concluded she died of heart failure.
However, it is unclear whether this caused her fall or whether this happened as a result of the fall.
Following the inquest, the couple’s friends of 43-years, Chris and Gill Gore, said that they were an absolutely devoted couple and that Mr Ziemba had died trying to comfort his wife.
Mr Gore added: “We were blessed to have known them and we are better people [for having done so].”