Woman died after incident at chipper

A verdict of misadventure was returned at the inquest of a woman who died after an altercation outside a chipper.

Phyllis Black, aged 51, was found dead at her home at Liberty House in Dublin city centre on the evening of May 20 last year, having sustained a significant head injury in the incident. She had been taken to the Mater Hospital by ambulance but left without seeing a doctor.

Dublin Coroner’s Court previously heard that she had gone to a takeaway on Parnell St with her sister at about 2.45am following a night out at a local pub.

There she became involved in an altercation with student Stephanie Coleman who told the court Ms Black came “charging out of the takeaway” and looked like she was going to hit her so she put her hand up.

Another witness, Daniel Alwraidt, told the court he saw Ms Black being pushed. Ms Black fell backwards striking her head off the kerb. She was taken to the Mater A&E accompanied by her sister. At 5.30am a nurse noted that she was no longer in the department.

Deputy state pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber gave the cause of death as acute cranio-cerebral trauma and intercranial haemorrhages from blunt force trauma to the head following a fall.

Summing up for the jury, coroner Brian Farrell said there were a number of factors involved in Ms Black’s death including the fact that alcohol had been taken, the incident, and that she did not stay to be seen by a doctor.

The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.