Forklift driver, 44, who broke both legs after he drunkenly broke into a lido at night and crashed into a barrier when going down a waterslide took his own life amid fears he could be permanently disabled, inquest hears

• Barry Douglas was left with life-changing injuries after a drunken lido incident
• The 44-year-old had snuck into a swimming pool and went down a slide at 2am
• He broke both his legs, as did his friend Claire Vickers, at Aldershot Lido in 2021
• Mr Douglas was found dead at his home in Aldershot, Hampshire in February
• Inquest has concluded he took his own life amid fears he would never recover 
• You can contact the Samaritans helpline 24/7 on 116 123 for help and support 

A forklift driver who broke both his legs after drunkenly breaking into a lido and crashing into a barrier going down a waterslide took his own life amid fears he would never recover, an inquest has heard. 

Barry Douglas, 44, made national headlines when he and Claire Vickers were seriously hurt at Aldershot Lido after sneaking in early in the morning in August last year. 

The friends were left with broken legs and shattered feet after sliding into a metal barrier at the bottom of a flume tube, and had to wait two hours to be rescued.

Less than six months later Mr Douglas, who hailed from Dundee, was found to have hanged himself at his studio flat in Aldershot, Hampshire.

Today an inquest found that despite signs of recovery Mr Douglas took his own life amid fears he would be left crippled by his injuries.

A hearing at Winchester Coroner’s Court was told that he suffered low moods after being unable to return to his job as a forklift driver and was worried about his finances after becoming reliant on disability benefits.

Barry Douglas, pictured here in October 2021, was seriously hurt after breaking both his legs in a drunken lido incident

The 44-year-old broke into Aldershot Lido (pictured) in August 2021 with a friend and went down a waterslide

Mr Douglas and his friend, Claire Vickers (pictured right), were left trapped and in agony after crashing into a metal barrier at the bottom of the flume 

Coroner Christopher Wilkinson was told that Mr Douglas had moved to Aldershot with his step father when he was 20 and had set up a stable life for himself.

But this changed in August 2021 when, after a day of drinking with Ms Vickers, he broke into the town’s lido, in what was described at the inquest as an ‘impulsive decision’.

The pair, who had also taken cocaine, went down a waterslide and were left with horrific injuries when they crashed into the barrier at the bottom of the flume.

Mr Douglas broke both his legs and later went on ITV’s This Morning with Ms Vickers where they hit out at the security at the water park.

After the incident he was forced to move into supported housing as he was wheelchair-bound during his recovery, and the inquest heard he began experiencing ‘low mood’.

His GP told the inquest he was prescribed anti-depressants following the incident, with his mother saying he was ‘desperate’ to get back to work. 

In a statement, Mr Douglas’s mother Ruth said: ‘The accident didn’t help his frame of mind but he didn’t say he was depressed to me.

‘He complained about cold in his flat, so I asked him to come home to Scotland, but being independent he refused.

The pair received notoriety after appearing on ITV’s This Morning on October last year, where they hit out at security at the lido

‘He was worried about money, going from a full-time wage to benefits was a big drop. He was desperate to get back to work but he was told it could take two years to be fit again, and there was a concern that he could be left crippled.’

Mr Douglas was dependent on alcohol, sometimes drinking 500ml to 1 litre of vodka per day, and was engaging with a substance abuse support service called Inclusion in the months before his death, the inquest heard. He was also an occasional user of cocaine and heroin.

He shared with Inclusion that he was reducing his alcohol intake and was also attending peer support sessions. He was due to attend a session on February 15, two days before his death, but he did not attend.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Clare Hatherley, harm reduction coordinator at Inclusion Hampshire, said: ‘After the accident in 2021 he referred himself to us.

‘I feel there were some gaps in our practice which may not have directly contributed to Barry’s death, but there were processes in place that weren’t followed, unfortunately.

‘I feel with the complexity of his issues he should have been triaged to a different pathway, and due to his opiate use he should have been offered all detox options.’

Ms Hatherley explained Inclusion’s procedures had been updated and the staff member and team involved with supporting Mr Douglas have been given additional training.

On February 17 one of Mr Douglas’s friends contacted staff at the supported housing because they were concerned they had not heard from him in a few days.

An inquest into his death heard that Mr Douglas suffered low mood and had financial worries after being unable to return to his job as a forklift driver due to his injuries

Staff carried out a welfare check in Mr Douglas’s flat and found him dead. It is believed he had died up to a day before his body was found.

A post-mortem examination found his medical cause of death was hanging, and a toxicology report analysing his blood samples found Mr Douglas had alcohol 4.3 times the drink drive limit in his system.

Mr Wilkinson, Senior Coroner for Hampshire, said that there was ‘no clear explanation’ for why Mr Douglas took his own life.

Mr Wilkinson: ‘He set himself up here in the UK. He started to consume alcohol to a greater extent and had been using street drugs.

‘His [water slide] injuries were, in my opinion, life-changing.

‘In his last few days there had been some hope that he was returning to work and was driving again.

‘There was also a possibility that he was moving to other accommodation.

‘It’s regrettable that I cannot establish what he was thinking.’

 He added: ‘My conclusion is not only did Mr Douglas undertake the effort to take his life, he had the intent to do so even under the influence of alcohol.

‘Therefore on the balance of probabilities I reach a conclusion of suicide. Mr Douglas took his own life impulsively while under the influence of alcohol.’

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.

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