A LOVING mother died after accidentally taking a fatal dosage of painkillers which she took to combat pain caused by a number of bone fractures she had received over the years.

An inquest in Truro was told today that Diane Bowness, 52, died at her home in Chapel Court, Chapel Street, Redruth on July 24, 2020.

Her daughter Cheryl Thomas said her mother had fractured a lot of bones in her life. She had fractured her leg in a motorbike accident when she was 18, six years ago she broke the other leg in a trip and a fall and a few years ago she fractured her wrist when she fell off a step whilst on holiday in a caravan.

In January 2020 she fractured her elbow, thumb and two fingers in two falls and, as a result of these fractures, she suffered a lot of pain and used prescribed pain relief medication on a daily basis. She said her mother had five children: herself, Deborah, Robert, Michael and Ben Bowness. Michael and Ben were still living at home but the rest had moved out.

She said her mum had booked a holiday in Mexico with her two sons Michael and Ben and they were due to depart on October 25. She was really looking forward to it and quite often talked about it.

"Mum loved her family and would do anything for us. I saw her most days," she said.

On the morning of Friday, July 24 she went to her mum's house and knocked on the door which was opened by her brother Michael. She saw her mother was lying in the lounge. She went over to her and touched her but she was unresponsive. Emergency services were called.

She told the inquest: "I do not believe she intentionally ended her life. She had short term and long term plans." She said when she left her on Thursday evening she had nice things planned to do the next day. She said her mum was Ben's main carer and she was also looking forward to her trip to Mexico.

Summing up the evidence, assistant coroner Andrew Cox said there was no mention of previous suicide attempts. Police and paramedics had attended the scene and did not find anything suspicious. There was also no evidence of third party involvement. He said Miss Bowness had short and long term plans and she intended to go on holiday with her sons on the 25th of October.

He said she suffered from a lot of pain and took pain relief daily. A potentially fatal amount of prescribed painkillers Amitriptyline and Dihydrocodeine, were found in her blood.

"There is no evidence Miss Bowness intentionally ended her life. There is no evidence that Miss Bowness wanted to end her life," he said. "As she was in constant pain she may have accidentally overdosed on the medication prescribed to her to relieve the discomfort."

He recorded that it had been a deliberate act to take the painkillers but with an unintended outcome. He concluded that it was a drug related death.