A CORK woman aged 70 died after she was suspended upside down for 36 hours while trying to climb through the rear window of her house, an inquest into her death heard yesterday.
Patricia Butler, who lived alone in a bungalow on the outskirts of Cork city, snagged her ankle and became trapped, having climbed through a small open window to gain access to her house after locking herself out.
The woman, described as extraordinarily agile and active for her age, endured a horrific ordeal that began at about 11am on Wednesday, August 19th last, after she used a step ladder to access the open window, which she managed to climb through before catching her left ankle.
Deliveries including bread and post were made to the house while the elderly woman remained trapped in an upside-down position until late the following night, Thursday, August 20th. A neighbour called to check on her at about 11pm after family members had become concerned that she was not answering the phone.
The neighbour checked the back of the house and found a step ladder leaning against a window, where Ms Butler’s foot was trapped. She called for help and a local nurse arrived, who climbed the ladder and managed to free Ms Butler’s ankle and lower her gently to the floor of the room inside.
The nurse then climbed through the window herself and found the elderly woman to be alert and fully conscious, though her lips had turned blue.
The nurse said that many 70-year-olds would not attempt such a feat, but that Ms Butler was “incredible” for her age, being “slight, fit and active”.
Ms Butler was brought to Cork University Hospital, where she was found to be suffering from hypothermia.
Though she was deemed to be in reasonable form and condition upon arrival there, her condition deteriorated rapidly as a result of circulation complications resulting from her 36-hour suspension.
Because the blood supply to her leg had been compromised during the ordeal, a “cascade of tragic events” followed, leading to the untimely death of Ms Butler at the hospital two days later.
Doctors tried to release pressure in the leg, but as the muscle started to break down due to the sustained lack of blood flow, a protein, myoglobin, was released into the bloodstream, causing kidney failure.
In her autopsy report, Dr Margaret Bolster noted that Ms Butler – though healthy and fit – had suffered a mild heart attack, most likely brought on by her horrific ordeal.
Dr Bolster described it as a most unusual case and said Ms Butler had died of total organ failure due to shock as a result of suspension from a window for a considerable length of time.
Cork city coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the elderly woman was “very strong in will and personality to go through that ordeal” but said it was the woman’s “agility and strength of will that came against her in the circumstances”.