This article is from page 4 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
A FEAKLE man died after he fell awkwardly from his bicycle as he cycled home after a night out, Ennis Coroner’s Court has heard.
The body of Sean Tobin (41), of Gurrane, Feakle, was found at Fur- nacetown, on the main Feakle to Scariff road, at around 2am on April 17, 2006.
An inquest last Thursday heard from witness Mary McGuinness. She was on her way home from Feakle when she noticed something
on the road, just lOO yards from Pep- per’s pub.
She saw a body lying partially on the grass margin and there was a bi- cycle between the man’s legs.
Garda Pat McGrath of Mountshan- non said he attended the scene of the accident. He recognised the cyclist as Sean Tobin, a factory worker, who lived just a half-mile away.
Garda McGrath said there were two lamps on the bicycle, none of which were turned on.
He said there was no damage to the bicycle, but the front wheels and
handlebars had been turned a full Rol Oe (fea terene
State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy said Mr Tobin had been half- way home, when he fell off his bicy- cle and was lying “awkwardly”.
She said there had been “no evi- dence of a road traffic accident”.
It appeared that Mr Tobin may have hit a stone, which would have top- pled him from the bicycle.
‘He was acutely intoxicated by al- cohol. His co-ordination would have been poor. He would have been un- steady,’ she said.
The post mortem examination showed Mr ‘Tobin had _ sustained mainly “trivial” injuries, consistent with a fall.
“Although the injuries were trivial, the position in which he landed would have left him susceptible to asphyxia, due to lack of oxygen,” she said.
She said that death was due to as- phyxia, which was due to the awk- ward way he fell, combined with acute alcohol intoxication.
The jury returned a verdict of acci- dental death, on the recommendation of Coroner Isobel O’Dea.