Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan died from catastrophic head injuries after fall at Thurles race meeting, inquest told

Irish Independent

12-06-2025

Cork Coroner's Court heard evidence of the cause of the death in the tragedy before adjourning the inquest to a future date.
Coroner Philip Comyn granted the adjournment application to Sgt Aisling Murphy. She told the inquest that preparatory work was still ongoing in respect of the hearing.
Mr Comyn said that, since the medical evidence had been heard, a death certificate could now be issued to Mr O'Sullivan's family.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said she performed a post mortem examination at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on February 17.
She ruled that the cause of death was a severe traumatic brain injury complicated by brain swelling with a cerebral infarction due to a horse riding accident.
Inspector Justin Walsh from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said its investigation into the tragedy remained ongoing and no final report had been completed.
Mr Comyn confirmed that a hearing date will be confirmed at a future time when all relevant inquiries are completed.
Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical injuries in a fall during a race at Thurles on February 6.
He died 10 days later at Cork University Hospital (CUH) despite efforts to save his life.
The talented jockey - who was from Lombardstown outside Mallow in north Cork - died just a few days short of his 25th birthday.
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Considered one of Ireland's emerging young racing stars, he had posted winners at multiple race meetings including at the Cheltenham festival.
He is survived by his parents, William and Bernie, his brother Alan, partner Charlotte and extended family.
In a moving tribute, his family posted in his death notice that: "Michael had accomplished so much in his short life. As a family we are so incredibly proud not only of his achievements in the saddle, but of the extraordinary young man he had become. He was full of kindness, integrity, ambition and love, always striving to be the best person he could be."
They said he died despite "a trojan" battle to recover from his injuries.
His funeral involved tributes from racing stables across Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) conducted a critical incident review immediately after the tragedy.
Mr O'Sullivan suffered his fatal injuries when five horses and jockeys were involved in a chain reaction of falls.
The incident occurred at the final fence. Mr O'Sullivan suffered critical head injuries when his horse, Wee Charlie, fell.
His mount later had to be euthanised because of a fractured leg.
None of the other four jockeys suffered serious injuries.
The IHRB review included video analysis, eye witness accounts of the incident and post-fall inspections. The review was finalised in early March and its findings released on March 25.
It found that there was no evidence of human error in the incident while equipment failure and environmental factors were also ruled out as primary causes.
The report found that the incident was as a consequence of the inherent risks of National Hunt racing. It found that a series of independent falls had triggered "an unavoidable chain reaction."
However, it did make a number of recommendations. These included expanded racecourse safety training with specific focus on multi-horse incidents, advanced medical training for dealing with situations involving head injuries, a review of track configurations, watering at courses like Thurles to ensure ground consistency, post mortems to be mandated for equine fatalities and standardised sedation safety procedures.
It also recommended that an exploration be conducted for technology to assess horse suitability to race.
IHRB chief executive Darragh O'Loughlin praised the work of medical professionals on the day.
'This tragic incident has deeply affected the horseracing community, and our thoughts remain with Michael O'Sullivan's family and friends, his colleagues and all those touched by his loss," he said last March.
"The professionalism of our emergency teams was exemplary but we are committed to learning from this event. These recommendations reflect our resolve to enhance safety while preserving the integrity of the sport we regulate."
'The IHRB maintains a relentless focus on safety to minimise the risk of racing related injury or harm to all participants. We owe it to Michael, to our riders, and to everyone in our sport to keep pushing forward."
The IHRB noted last March that, following a reconfiguration of Thurles race track in 2020, fall rates had been reduced from 9.9pc to 3.8pc.
"However, this incident underscores the unpredictable nature of racing and the need for continuous improvement."
The IHRB said it would continue its "relentless focus on safety".