Castlebar inquest

Woman died after falling down stairs

THE inquest into the death of an elderly lady who was found dead in her home revealed on Monday that she accidently fell down the stairs last January.
Mrs Florrie Ruane (74), a widow with an address at 20 Marian Row, Castlebar was found at the foot of the stairs in her home by Garda Georgina Gallagher. On January 27 last at 3.30am, Garda Gallagher said she was informed that the Garda station had received an anonymous call that a woman was observed lying on the stairs of her home and did not appear to be moving.
Garda Gallagher said she looked in the window of the house and saw a woman lying awkwardly on the stairs and when she knocked on the door, it was answered immediately by her son, Mr Gerard Ruane. She said he was acting in an excitable manner and informed her that she may have fallen down the stairs while he was in bed. When Garda Gallagher examined that body she found a small cut to the back of her neck and there were no visible marks. There were no visible signs of life and she called the doctor who pronounced her dead at 4.55am. Garda Gallagher said the death appeared to be an accident and there was nothing untoward about it.
In a statement, Mr Gerard Ruane said he was an outpatient in the Sacred Heart Home and his mother had been drinking before he went to bed at 1.45am on January 27. He said he heard a noise and saw his mother lying on the stairs. He tried to lift her up and bring her upstairs but he was unable to do so.
Mr Adrian Coady told the inquest that he lived on Marian Row and was walking home when his attention was drawn to Mrs Ruane’s house. He looked through the window and saw Mr Ruane trying to lift his mother. He thought Mr Ruane was just trying to help his mother up the stairs but realised there was something wrong when she was not moving, and rang the guards. He explained that he knew the Ruanes for as long as he could remember and introduced himself to the Gardaí when he realised the situation was serious.
Dr Fadel Bennani, consultant pathologist, explained that he examined that scene and found Mrs Ruane lying on the landing and her head was at the corner with bended neck. A blood sample found that there was 260mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood and the cause of death in his opinion was due to acute respiratory depression with positional asphyxia due to a fall from the stairs and also due to acute alcohol intoxication.
Mr John O’Dwyer, Coroner of south Mayo, gave a verdict of death from misadventure and extended his sympathies to the family of Mrs Ruane. Superintendent Eugene Brennan echoed the sympathies of the coroner.