A BRIDEGROOM-TO-BE who drowned on his stag do after falling into Albert Dock may have hit his head as he fell, an inquest heard.

Dale Joint, aged 24, of Glamis Close in Leigh, died on August 22, two weeks before he was due to marry his fiancé Katie McNamara.

The court heard how Mr Joint was waiting for a minibus at around 9.30pm, with his friends Joshua Vaughan and Kevin McGarigan, after coming out of nightclub Revolution in Liverpool.

His father Steven Joint, who was also with his son, had already got into another minibus.

While waiting for the minibus, Dale had shouted to his friends that he was going to get on a boat in the docks.

In a statement, Mr Vaughan, he said: “We were outside the club having a laugh and a joke. It was at this point that Kevin shouted that Dale was in the water. I thought he was joking.

“I looked and Kieran had taken off his clothes and jumped in the water looking for Dale. I put my arms and legs in the water, which was very cold, but as much as we tried we could not see or hear Dale.”

Police, fire-fighters and paramedics were called to the dock near the Echo Arena, on the River Mersey at 9.45pm.

Mr Joint was declared dead at 10.34pm.

Although the court heard that no-one was with Dale at the time he fell into the water, a post mortem examination revealed he had suffered a cut to his head and a slight bleed to his brain.

Doctor Sally-Anne Colliss, of the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “Dale had hit his head just prior to going into the water. It is more than likely that he was unconscious when hitting the water or slightly after. His lungs were hyper inflated supporting the predication of drowning.”

Coroner Anita Bhardwaj asked Dr Colliss was it possible to determine what Dale hit his head on, to which she said it was a hard surface which could have been a wall, the jetty edge or a boat.

The results of a toxicology report revealed Mr Joint was twice the legal drink drive limit, which would be described as “moderate intoxication, depending on his tolerance to alcohol” but could have caused disorientation and delayed responses.

Coroner Bhardwaj concluded a verdict of death by drowning.

She added: “Dale was on his stag event, he jumped over the barrier onto the ledge near the boardwalk.

“It is unclear as to what happened, but he struck his head on something with a hard surface.

“It is more likely than not that when he hit his head he was unconscious, meaning he was unable to extricate himself from the water.

“Dale’s death was the result of a tragic accident."

Addressing the family she added: "I know that you are all going through different types of grief. Katie to lose Dale two weeks before your wedding is extremely difficult and Steven, to lose a child, must be unbearable."