Tributes pour in for ‘talented’ Liverpool student who died after climbing out of flat window

Tributes have poured in for a “talented” Liverpool student who died from falling after climbing out of his flat window.

27-year-old Cameron Walker slipped and fell after he was seen hanging out of one of his flat’s windows at around 4:10pm on 5th October 2022, an inquest this week heard.

He was taken to Aintree Hospital, and the next day died of a severe head injury, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Cameron was studying a post-graduate degree in psychology at the University of Liverpool, was described as a “talented musician” who would play many instruments and was learning to speak Mandarin.

Cameron’s dad, Russell Walker, said: “He’d dropped his girlfriend off at the train station that morning. He phoned his mother, had a chat with her, as happy as Larry, and the next thing we knew we had that phone call.

“He was very caring, very quiet, but he had a wicked sense of humour. He was a talented musician. He played acoustic guitar and both the keyboard and the piano. He was going to learn to play the pipes. I’m a piper myself. The last time I saw Cameron he said when he finished his studies he was going to learn the pipes, so I was quite happy about that.

“He did think deeply at times though. But that’s better than not thinking at all. He was two years into learning Mandarin. He had just moved in with his girlfriend. He had everything ahead of him.”

Paying tribute to Cameron, his brother Ollie May said: “Words cannot describe how hard it is to lose a sibling, especially one with so much still to offer the world. When something hits you like this out of the blue there is no response that feels right, other than profound sadness.

“I have lost a part of me that I won’t get back and I will always miss.”

A toxicology report found Cameron had LSD and cannabis in his system.

Coroner Anita Bhardwaj gave a conclusion of accidental death, and said: “Cameron was a post-graduate student at Liverpool University and clearly a young man who was bright, talented, and had a bright future ahead of him.

“All this behaviour was unusual for Cameron and clearly his state of mind has been influenced by the drugs consumed. More likely than not, the drugs consumed by Cameron have had a detrimental impact on his cognitive ability and motor functions and this has caused him to climb out of the window, lose his footing and fall.”

Cameron’s dad Russell said: “It was so out of character, and that’s basically all I can say. It’s very tragic. How would any family deal with losing a child, a sibling? But you’ve just got to soldier on.

“I would like to give my thanks to the emergency services and all the staff at Aintree Hospital, the coroners service, and the people of Liverpool, whose empathy and kindness will stay with me for years.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, please speak to someone or contact Samaritans on 116 123 at any time. You can also contact Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774, Mind on 0300 123 3393, Calm (Campaign against living miserably) on 0800 58 58 58, and Student Minds online here. You matter.