Injury triggered fatal blood clot

A MAN who ruptured his achilles tendon during a game died after it triggered a chain of tragic events.

Cork Coroner’s Court heard yesterday that Simon Price, 42, from Walsh’s Place, Leitrim Street in Cork, suffered the initial injury to his left achilles tendon while playing My Black Cat, an old style children’s game which involves hopping on one leg, with a friend.

Mr Price was overweight and city coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the increased pressure on his leg during the game was probably responsible for the tendon injury.

He underwent successful surgery to repair the injury and his leg was placed in a cast afterwards.

The cast was removed at a Cork University Hospital clinic without incident on November 12, 2007.

However, Mr Price died suddenly the following day after collapsing.

A postmortem revealed he died after a deep vein thrombosis — or blood clot — which had developed in his left calf under the cast, broke off and travelled to his lungs.

Immobilisation and surgery are among the risk factors for deep vein thrombosis, a well-recognised complication, city coroner Dr Myra Cullinane, said.

Unfortunately, Mr Price had both, said Dr Cullinane.

Dr Cullinane described Mr Price’s death as “very, very tragic” and recorded a verdict of accidental death.