Man died after falling from window, inquest hears

A man who fell out of a first-floor window was found dead on his doorstep the next morning.

Brian Clarke (48) lived with his brother at Casement Drive, Finglas, Dublin 11.

He was pronounced dead at the scene on May 24 2015. The man was found on the back doorstep of their home by his brother Paul Clarke.

The father of two is thought to have been climbing out his bedroom window on the first floor when he lost his balance and fell. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned an open verdict at an inquest into his death.

An autopsy carried out by pathologist Dr Christian Gulman found the cause of death was blunt trauma with internal retroperitineal hemorrhaging. Dublin Coroner’s Court heard the man, a former barman, had developed a drinking problem.

“I woke up and went down to the kitchen to make a breakfast and saw him (Brian) sitting on the back doorstep,” Paul Clarke said. “He wasn’t breathing and his face was yellow.”

He called emergency services and Dublin Fire Brigade arrived at 9.02am, the court heard.

The bins below his brother’s bedroom were disturbed, leading Mr Clarke to believe his brother fell out the window.

“One of the neighbours said afterwards that he heard the noise of someone stumbling onto the bins around 4.20am,” Mr Clarke said.

“I was in the room beside him and never heard a thing,” Paul Clarke said.

The man’s GP said in a medical report that he had warned Brian Clarke to stop taking alcohol, but he continued to drink, the court heard. He had no alcohol in his system at the time of his death, but the coroner said confusion can become an issue for people suffering with liver disease. His last visit to his GP was on October 1 2014.

“One doesn’t know if his liver disease was affecting his behaviour,” the coroner said.