Woman died in fall from third floor apartment, inquest hears

A music teacher died after she fell about 8m (25’) from the window of her third floor apartment, an inquest heard.

Gloria Mulhall (50) who lived at the Newmarket Square apartment complex in Dublin 8, died of multiple traumatic injuries on December 17th, 2014.

Ms Mulhall was found lying directly beneath the “wide open” window of her apartment by neighbours shortly after 4pm.

Described in tributes following her death as "an outstanding musician, composer and teacher", Ms Mulhall was a highly regarded lecturer at Griffith College in Dublin and at Walton's New School of Music.

The deceased’s brother, James Mulhall said his sister had visited him in the days prior to her death. She had ordered a new car to collect in early 2015 and had booked a trip to New York. She had decorated her apartment for Christmas, Mr Mulhall told Dublin Coroner’s Court.

Neighbour Brian Gorey raised the alarm after another neighbour knocked on his door and told him there was a woman lying on the ground.

Garda Susan Plunkett responded to a call at 4.30pm. She said Dublin Fire Brigade determined there was no sign of life and Ms Mulhall was pronounced dead at 5.05pm.

In Ms Mulhall’s apartment, gardaí found an open bottle of wine and a full glass of wine on the table. She had a blood alcohol level of 127mg per 100ml, according to a toxicology report.

“That’s equivalent to around seven units, which is not a large amount of alcohol,” Deputy Coroner Maria Colbert said.

Barrister Daniel Boland, representing the Mulhall family, said Ms Mulhall had consumed around two and a half glasses of wine. The deceased sustained a fractured skull in the fall but there were no witnesses to the incident, the court heard.

The coroner returned an open verdict reflecting “the fact that I don’t have evidence one way or another.”