Wedding guest suffered fatal fall in Westmeath hotel 

Coroner says ‘ significant level’ of alcohol was factor in accident

Kevin Connaire, 40, died at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on July 1, 2022, six days after he sustained a fall while attending a wedding reception in the Glasson Lakehouse in Glasson, Co Westmeath.

A wedding guest suffered a fatal brain injury after falling on a staircase while attending a function at a hotel in Co Westmeath last year, an inquest has heard.

Kevin Connaire, 40, a single man from Clonbrusk, Ballymahon Road, Athlone, Co Westmeath died at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on July 1, 2022, six days after he sustained a fall while attending a wedding reception in the Glasson Lakehouse in Glasson, Co Westmeath.

An inquest at Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard Mr Connaire suffered the fatal injury about 15 minutes after he had rejected a lift home from his father who had driven to the hotel to collect him.

The deceased’s father, Vincent Connaire, gave evidence that his son had phoned him at around 2.05am from the hotel asking for a lift.

However, Mr Connaire said his son phoned him again while he was waiting outside the hotel to say he was not going home as he planned to go on somewhere else.

Mr Connaire said the last words his son said to him were: “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Surgery

The inquest heard Mr Connaire next received a call from the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore at around 5.30am to inform him his son had suffered a severe injury and was being transferred to Beaumont Hospital.

Mr Connaire said doctors told him that his son needed surgery to remove a clot on his brain.

The witness said he knew after talking to medical staff in Beaumont Hospital that “things might not turn out so good".

 The inquest heard the surgery was unsuccessful and Mr Connaire passed away shortly after a life-support machine was switched off on July 1, 2022.

In reply to questions from coroner Aisling Gannon, the deceased’s father said he had no concern about his son not going home with him after he had travelled to the hotel to collect him.

“He changed his mind. It was actually hard to hear him on the phone but he wasn’t coming with me,” Mr Connaire recalled.

In a statement, another wedding guest, David Clifford, said he was leaving the wedding with his partner, Tara Smith, at around 2.30am when he heard a loud noise and saw Mr Connaire appearing to fall down the stairs leading from the function room.

Mr Clifford said the injured man was unresponsive and not breathing, although his eyes were open.

He described how he started to begin compressions on Mr Connaire’s chest but stopped after the victim began making snoring sounds.

Ms Smith said she was taking care that nobody would move Mr Connaire, who had landed on his back, when she noticed blood coming from his right ear.

A paramedic who attended the scene, Darren Muleady, said Mr Connaire had suffered a severe head injury and he had to secure his airways on numerous occasions on the ambulance journey to Tullamore.

Garda evidence

Garda Brian Lynskey told the inquest that he was satisfied there was nothing suspicious in relation to Mr Connaire’s death after viewing CCTV footage which captured the fatal injury.

Garda Lynskey said he had no concerns about any slip or trip hazard on the stairs of the hotel or any third-party involvement.

He acknowledged that alcohol may have been a factor in the fall based on the deceased’s demeanour in the CCTV footage prior to the incident.

Medical reports revealed Mr Connaire suffered acute bleeding to his brain as well as a fracture to his skull.

The coroner said the results of a post-mortem had confirmed that Mr Connaire had suffered a traumatic brain injury consistent with a fall.

Ms Gannon said a toxicology report had revealed that Mr Connaire had a blood-alcohol level of 320mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood — over six times the legal drink-driving limit.

The coroner observed that such “a very significant level” of alcohol was considered to be in the “toxic” range and that “on balance” it was a factor in Mr Connaire suffering the fall.

Ms Gannon returned a verdict of death by misadventure as she noted the fatal incident was the unintended consequence of consuming alcohol.