ESSEX, England (WKRC) – A man died at a Topgolf location after a “prank gone wrong.”

According to PEOPLE, a recent inquest found that 22-year-old Conner Groom’s death at a Topgolf location in Essex, England has been ruled accidental. The BBC reported that Groom had visited Topgolf for a work Christmas party on December 21, 2021, during which he was shoved over a safety net by a friend.

Per the network, Groom tumbled over the net and fell face first onto the driving range, which was about 12 feet below. The 22-year-old suffered a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury and a hypoxic brain injury and spent a month at Royal London Hospital, before he ultimately died on January 25, 2022, according to PEOPLE.

Prior to the fatal fall, the group had reportedly been “drinking heavily” before being taken to a bay on the first floor of the two-story venue, according to the BBC, which reported that the group began pushing each other onto the safety net at some point.

Per the BBC, during the inquest, Detective Inspector Lydia George said Groom had been shoved onto the safety net twice, adding that Groom himself had pushed one of his friends onto the net.

According to the network, Topgolf staff had warned the group multiple times to stop “messing around.”

Sometime after the incident, the friend who had shoved Groom, identified by the BBC as Ben Gardener, was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. The charges were later dropped, however, according to the network.

Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes ruled that Groom died as a result of misadventure, which is defined by the United Kingdom’s coroner’s guide as a death “from some deliberate human act which unexpectedly and unintentionally goes wrong.”

“There were undoubtedly high spirits throughout the evening – lots of horseplay, joking around and fun. This did get out of hand,” Brookes said, per the BBC. “The last thing Mr. Gardner wanted was his friend to be hurt. I entirely accept this was due to good spirits and there was nothing malicious.”

Brookes added that it was “perhaps significant” that the group was not warned by Topgolf that horseplay could result in removal from the venue.

A health and safety officer at Epping Forest District Council told the hearing that Topgolf had improved its staff training around potential risks following Groom’s death.