Ohio man dies after sitting in chair for two years

Friday, April 1, 2011

A morbidly obese Ohio man died Wednesday after being found unconscious in his home several days earlier. The man had been sitting in a chair for two years and was physically fused to it when he was discovered by two roommates, one of which was his girlfriend.

Authorities who arrived at the house in Bellaire reported seeing the man sitting amidst his own urine and feces, which were infested with maggots. The man's skin had become attached to the recliner's cloth, said law enforcement officers, one of whom had to dispose of his uniform after responding to the home. In order to transport the man to the hospital, officers had to carve out a portion of the wall.

Identified as 43-year-old Richard Hughes, the man died after being taken to Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia. The residence's landlord said Hughes, weighing 348 pounds (157 kilograms), began sitting in the chair after his knees started to hurt, and refused to get up. Hughes' girlfriend told police that she fed him because he was unable to move around.

Jim Chase, a city official, called the room where the man stayed "very filthy, very deplorable" and said it was "unbelievable that somebody live[d] in conditions like that."

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Sources

Associated Press. "Obese man in recliner for 2 years is cut out of US home, dies at hospital" — The Canadian Press, March 31, 2011
Lucas I. Alpert. "Obese man cut from chair he was stuck in for 2 years dies; skin fused with maggot-infested fabric" — New York Daily News, March 31, 2011
QMI Agency. "Obese man dies after found fused to chair" — Toronto Sun, March 30, 2011
Jessica Hopper. "Morbidly Obese Man Dies After Two Years in the Same Chair" — ABC News, March 30, 2011

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