Train-fall injury a factor in death 30 years later

A brain injury sustained by a former League of Ireland footballer when he fell from a speeding train 30 years ago was a contributory factor in his recent death, an inquest has heard.

Father-of-two Joseph Murphy, 57, was residing at St Glady’s nursing home, Harold’s Cross, Dublin 6, for the final four years of his life. Previously, he had lived a full and independent life, despite the catastrophic head injury, which left him in a coma for five months in 1986.

An electrician, Mr Murphy was offered contract work in the UK, where he was invited to play football with a club, as part of the deal.

In September 1986, he was travelling with three companions on the overcrowded Holyhead to London Express. Mr Murphy, who was seated between carriages, is thought to have leaned against the train door, which opened and he fell out.

The train was travelling at 145km/h. The accident happened in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley, in north Wales, not long after the train had left Holyhead.

Joe Murphy’s younger brother, Phillip Murphy, said it’s possible Joe was smoking a cigarette at the time. “His pal went to the toilet and left Joe to mind the tools, but when he came back he found the door open and no sign of Joe,” Mr Murphy said.

“Doctors gave him a 50-50 chance of survival. It was only the third time the surgeon involved had carried out the required brain operation. He spent five months in a coma and woke up a completely different person,” Phillip Murphy said.

Mr Murphy learned to speak and walk again, following therapy at the National Rehabilitation Centre, where he regained much of his independence.

“He defied all the odds. He taught himself to do everything again,” his brother said. However, he was plagued by seizures for the rest of his life.

Originally from Terenure, Joe Murphy had played for Shelbourne in the early 1980s.

The family paid tribute to staff at St Glady’s. Mr Murphy developed pneumonia and was admitted to St James’s hospital, where he died on November 5, 2015. The cause of death was sepsis, with the initial brain injury, resulting from the train fall, a contributory factor. Coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, returned a narrative verdict, setting out the circumstances of Mr Murphy’s death.

“It must have been a devastating thing to happen to the family and for you to see your son go through,” the coroner said.