A man whose family tirelessly campaigned for brain injury charity after he was injured in a crash died due to his frailty, an inquest has concluded.

The hearing heard how Mark Howieson was left with brain injuries and long-term disabilities after a cycling accident 26 years ago.

The 56-year-old, from Darwen, died on July 6 after a gradual deterioration of his health over the last 12 months.

The inquest at Blackburn Town Hall was told how Mr Howieson was in a collision with an oncoming car on his bike while on his way home from work at British Steel in 1996.

He suffered serious brain injuries, leaving him unable to speak and without the use of his legs.

At the time of the accident, his family fundraised to raise money for brain injury charity Headway’s move to Blackburn with Darwen, where it still helps around 50 people in the area who suffer brain injuries, most of which are young men.

Needing 24-hour care and having separated from his wife, he has relied on care from Birch Hall Care Home in Darwen since 2005.  

Staff at the care home recalled during the inquest how Mr Howieson was a positive and "a little bit mischievous" resident.

Jane Makey, the manager at Birch Hall Care Home since 2022, said: “He had a specialised wheelchair, and he socialised with the other residents and went out on trips and outings.”

Coroner Richard Taylor was told Mr Howieson had been unwell since the incident due to the head injuries he sustained, but his health had begun to deteriorate over the last 12 months.

The court heard he struggled to eat and drink due to issues with his swallowing.

Over the last 18 months, Mr Howieson had been unable to coordinate the movement that he had in his hands, and since December he had stopped getting into his wheelchair and was nursed in bed.

Jane continued: “The four to six weeks before the date of his death, staff were aware he was in the last weeks of his life.

"We had been aware of that since the September before when we saw a change in him.”

Having lost the small amount of movement he had in his hand, Mr Howieson also became unable to ring for help from care staff.

Mr Taylor said: “Mr Howieson was nursed by yourselves, the district nurses and GPs, but the dietitians felt he was losing weight, and his muscles were deteriorating, and it was wasting and it became a sad reality.”

The coroner reached a narrative conclusion which stated Mr Howieson had become progressively more frail since a road traffic collision in 1998 when he had sustained a traumatic brain injury.