Woman died after son knocked her down

An elderly woman died days after she was accidentally knocked down by her son, an inquest heard yesterday.

Cork City coroner Dr Myra Cullinane recorded a verdict of accidental death after hearing details of the events which contributed to Nora Coleman’s death on May 15 last.

Gardaí described it as a total accident and said the car was going at such low speed that there were no visible signs of the impact.

Ms Coleman, aged 83, of Coolmine, Charleville in North Cork, was struck as her son Frank reversed his car at low speed in the yard of the family farm at 11.30am on May 8 last.

Frank Coleman, who cared for his late father, and mother, told the inquest: “I felt a thud and stopped immediately.”

He found his mother sitting up on the ground behind the car. She was lucid, alert, and said it was “her own fault”. Mr Coleman said his mother told him she heard the car, but thought she “could make it” across the yard to feed scraps to her dogs. She had fractured her left arm, pelvis, and right leg.

She underwent surgery on May 11, and came through it, despite it being high-risk. But her condition deteriorated and she suffered cardiac arrest and died on May 15.

An autopsy found she had extensive heart disease and was at risk of sudden death at any stage.