Coroner pledges to continue investigation into death of Sunderland man Ryan Collier after fall from balcony on Turkish holiday

Beloved Millfield man Ryan Collier tragically died in October 2020 following a heart attack after falling from a balcony of the four-storey Sun Apart Hotel where he was staying, just days into a holiday with his partner Donna Noble.

The 34-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest, a fractured skull, swelling of the brain and a broken neck as well as multiple other injuries and was being treated in a private hospital in Turkey.

An inquest into Ryan’s death was opened in July this year, with a pre-inquest review at the Coroner’s Court in Sunderland Civic Centre held on Monday, December 6 where Sunderland’s Senior Coroner Derek Winter updated his family on the progress of his investigation into how Ryan died.

Mr Winter highlighted that he is working with the Foreign Office in an effort to get access to evidence relating to Ryan’s death from the Turkish authorities but warned that they are under no obligation to grant it.

He also commented that his investigation into the death could get to a point where he has no choice but to solely use the information that they’ve presently got.

Mr Winter commented: “There is a lot to do before we can get into court to have a meaningful inquest.”

However, he did offer some hope to the family, adding: “Should I reach a conclusion and new evidence comes to light, I can always apply to the High Court to renew the inquest – it is never the end.”

Speaking previously about his death, Ryan’s dad Brian Collier said: “We’re still in a lot of distress and we have lots of questions that need answers – It’s been a difficult time.

"It’s been absolutely horrendous and I wouldn’t want any parent to go through what we’ve been through, it’s still pretty raw and we still get upset about it.”

“We might not hear what we want to hear at the inquest but we will have to try and accept the outcome.

"Ryan was so well-loved and he had his whole life ahead of him but now we need closure.”

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