Father-of-three 'choked to death after eating whole cheeseburger', inquest hears

'He would not have been able to breathe… with that in his airway'

Darren Bray died in October 2015 (Darren Bray/Twitter)

A man who tried to eat a cheeseburger in one mouthful choked to death, an inquest has heard.

Darren Bray, a father-of-three from Barry, died from an obstruction of the airways after a ball of food measuring 8cm by 5cm lodged in his throat.

The BBC reported that Dr Rhiannon Trefor told Cardiff Coroner’s Court: “He would not have been able to breathe… with that in his airway.”

Dr Trefor said Mr Bray would have died quickly, Wales Online reported.

The 29-year-old was at a friend’s house in Barry in October 2015 when he tried to eat the burger, folded in half, from fast food restaurant McDonald’s. He told his friends to “watch this” as he did so, the court heard.

But he started to choke and blacked out as he ate the 99p cheeseburger, the court heard.

Mr Bray had been out with friends before the incident took place. Although he had consumed alcohol, a toxicology exam showed it would not have been enough to affect his judgement.

Paramedics tried to remove the food and performed CPR on Mr Bray but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Wales Online reported.

A conclusion of death by misadventure was recorded by assistant coroner Christopher Woolley.