Man died after football kicked in his direction, inquest hears

An elderly man walking in a Dublin park died after falling when a football was kicked in his direction, an inquest has heard.

James O’Sullivan (88) of Redcourt Oaks, Clontarf, Dublin 3, fell and hit his head while walking with the aid of a walker in St Anne’s Park, Raheny on August 5th, 2014.

The father of three refused treatment after the fall and returned home, but developed a subdural haemorrhage that caused his death just hours later.

Garda Rebecca Matthews of Clontarf Garda station said the football may have caused the elderly man, who was unsteady on his feet, to lose his balance.

“A football was kicked in his direction and that’s how he lost his balance,” Garda Matthews said.

The man’s wife, Jane O’Sullivan, brought him for a walk every day at St Anne’s Park, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.

“She brought her husband to St Anne’s Park for a walk, dropped him at Red Stables entrance and went to park the car. When she came back it was apparent that he had fallen and was bring attended to by a number of others,” Garda Matthews said.

An ambulance was called but Mr O'Sullivan refused medical attention. He became ill at home later that night and was taken to the Mater Hospital.

He died at 1.25am on August 6th, due to bleeding on the surface of the brain caused by the fall earlier at St Anne’s Park.

Asked by Coroner Dr Brian Farrell if her husband had been struck by the football, Mrs O'Sullivan said he did not say he had been struck by the ball.

“He said it was quite busy at the time, there were lots of children around. He said it might have been the fault of the football. He said he turned to look at the ball,” she said.

Mr O’Sullivan had begun taking anti-coagulant medication shortly before the fall which may have been a contributory factor in his death, the inquest heard.

“That simple fall, with only probably a light bang to the head, caused the bleeding to commence. In persons of a certain age, any slight bang or even a sudden movement can start off a subdural haemorrhage,” Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, the coroner said there were no suspicious circumstances and that the ball kicked in his direction “may have caused him to fall”.