A 20-foot plunge from a nursing home window triggered a chain of events leading to the death of a 71-year-old resident, an inquest heard this evening.
The Dublin City Coroner's court heard that Mr Sean Hayes was staying in Rostrevor Nursing Home in Rathgar, Dublin when he fell from the window of his second floor room sustaining extensive injuries.
The inquest heard that on October 30th, 2002 Mr Hayes was found at the front door of the nursing home.
Deputy coroner, Ms Maria Colbert, said witnesses thought he "looked shocked, pale and was sweating". He was brought back up to his room on the second floor, there was a chair under the window which was wide open. There was a grass on his feet and his pyjamas was damp.
"When asked if he jumped out the window he answered that he had," she said.
The coroner's court heard that staff at the nursing home did not think "there was any cause for concern".
He was kept under observation for the night and then admitted to St James's Hospital in Dublin the following day. He was found to have sustained a number of fractures in the fall from the window.
Mr Hayes spent almost five weeks in St James's Hospital before he died on December 5th, 2002.
Pathologist, Dr David Delaney, told the court that his death was the result of a sequence of events.
The inquest heard Mr Hayes developed bronchial pneumonia and was believed to have contracted the anti-biotic resistant MRSA super bug - possibly during his hospital stay.
"In contracting the injuries he became immobile which made him more vulnerable to infections," he said.
Dr Delaney said the nursing home resident had an underlying heart disease, which was then aggravated by the pneumonia and the MRSA infection, leading to his death.
The coroner said it was not definite but it appeared that Mr Delaney had contracted the super bug towards the end of his time in hospital. "He wouldn't have been in hospital if he hadn't fallen and got those quite serious injuries," Ms Colbert said.
She passed a verdict of death by misadventure.
Mr Hayes only surviving close relative, his sister Maria, told the inquest that he was happy in the nursing home.
PA