A CORONER has warned people to be wary if they find someone in a confused or semi-conscious state that they might not be intoxicated but could have a head injury instead.
The Dublin county coroner made his comments at an inquest into the death of a 25-year-old man who died from the effects of a blood clot on his brain, having been found lying at the bottom of the stairs the previous night.
A postmortem found Francis Wade, of Barnwall Avenue, Donabate, Co Dublin, had 88mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system when he died. However, a urine level of 256 indicated his blood level would have been higher prior to death.
Dublin County Coroner’s Court heard Kathleen Wade called her son, Stephen, for help when she found her other son, Francis, lying against a wall shortly before midnight on June 17th this year.
Stephen Wade found his brother snoring, carried him to the couch and put him lying on his side. He said he seemed comfortable, and told the coroner he thought his brother was intoxicated.
Mr Wade was found dead the following day. Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty said it would appear Francis was intoxicated and fell and suffered a head injury, and his family assumed he was intoxicated. “This is the second case like it today where someone is found and it is assumed they are intoxicated,” said the coroner, who called on people to be wary and consider the possibility of a head injury if someone is found in a semi-conscious or confused state.
An earlier inquest heard Jake Flynn Murray returned home to find his mother, Susan Murray (55), of Springlawn Drive, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, on the kitchen floor on March 26th this year with a pillow under her head and a blanket over her.
He told the inquest his mother had a problem with alcohol and it was not unusual to find her “like this”. Ms Murray was pronounced dead the following day.
She died as a result of a subdural haemorrhage due to a fall, with alcohol levels as a contributory cause. Her blood alcohol level was 161mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, but her urine level was 267 which indicated her blood levels were previously higher.
The coroner recorded verdicts of death by misadventure in both cases.