Radiographer choked on own vomit

A Tauranga radiographer who popped pills at a wedding died from choking on his vomit, Te Awamutu coroner Michael McIvor has ruled.

Mr McIvor found that although a post-mortem found lethal levels of morphine in his system, Simon Robert Grave, 26, died from choking on his own vomit.

The inquest was told that Mr Grave had been at a wedding in Te Awamutu the night before he died. When friends left the house where Grave was staying he was asleep. But when he was checked two hours later he was dead.

Police found 11 prescription pills for cancer patients in his pockets.