George Napper, 90, tumbled out of a window and died at his home in Rosedale Road, Dagenham.
An inquest was opened into his death at East London Coroner’s Court, Walthamstow, on Tuesday, April 22.
The death was referred to the coroner by the Metropolitan Police Service as it was unnatural but not suspicious.
“It was reported that Mr Napper had had a cigarette and then gone upstairs and was observed to be leaning out of the second bedroom window on the first floor, which overlooks the back garden,” said senior coroner Graeme Irvine.
“It would appear that members of the family were in the garden.”
They had reported that Mr Napper was “observing some building work that was being done in a neighbour’s property”.
“The family then saw Mr Napper fall,” Mr Irvine told the court. “He unfortunately fell out of the window.”
The London Ambulance Service was called but declared Mr Napper dead at the scene at 10.20am on April 4.
His cause of death has been given as “multiple severe traumatic injuries”.
“It seems to me that given the circumstances of this death report, an inquest must be opened in order to ascertain how it was that Mr Napper came by these fatal, traumatic injuries,” said Mr Irvine.
Inquests are held in the public interest to investigate deaths from unnatural causes and whether future similar deaths might be avoidable.
He declared Mr Napper’s family interested persons – a legal status entitling them to view evidence ahead of the final inquest and question any witnesses called to give evidence.
He asked them to supply “a detailed chronology of the events of the 4th of April” and “whether or not they can shed any light as to what caused the fall itself”.
The final inquest was scheduled for October.
