Latest news with #IrishCommunityAirAmbulance
The Journal
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Journal
Cork man died after he received five to six wasp stings in his garden, inquest hears
A 56-YEAR-OLD FATHER of three died at his home in Macroom, Co Cork last year after he received five or six wasp stings as he picked up hedge clippings to the rear of his property, an inquest has heard. Michael (Mick) Sheehan, who was originally from Ballinlough in Cork city, was pronounced dead at 2:16pm on 5 November, 2024 at his home in Glen Tanar, Carriganine in Macroom. His wife Carmel Sheehan told an inquest at Macroom Court today that at around noon on that day her husband was on the phone in his study. Shortly afterwards he told her that he was going out to two help men who were cutting the hedge at his property. After a short period he came in to their home and stated that he was 'after getting stung by a wasp.' Mrs Sheehan said that her husband wasn't showing any ill effects at this point. There was no obvious cause for concern. Mrs Sheehan realised that there wasn't any over the counter allergy medication in the family medicine cabinet. She then decided to make the short journey one mile down the road to the local chemist to pick up the allergy medication Zirtek. When Mrs Sheehan returned to the property she found her husband 'face down on the kitchen floor.' She ran out the back to the two men who were working in the garden. She said they all rushed in to the house. 'I [then] saw John [the gardener] trying to get Mick to respond. He was sitting Mick up and slapping his face.' Mrs Sheehan called an ambulance. The emergency services were alerted and the Irish Community Air Ambulance from Rathcoole landed in the nearby golf club. Mrs Sheehan said that when she knew the air ambulance was coming she rushed down to try to show the medics the shortcut to her house. When she arrived back to the house first responder told her that if she had prayers to say it was probably the appropriate time to start them. Mrs Sheehan said that sometime after 2pm Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Dr Jason van der Velde informed her that her husband had passed away. A local priest was contacted and prayers were said in the kitchen before the deceased was brought to the morgue at Cork University Hospital for a postmortem examination. Mrs Sheehan told Coroner Frank O'Connell that her husband was 'absolutely fine' when she left to the go to the chemist. She made it to and from the local pharmacy in a handful of minutes. Advertisement She said that before she left her husband was understandably a little 'agitated.' However, there was nothing to suggest what would later occur. Mrs Sheehan said her husband had no history of allergies. A statement was read in to evidence from gardener John White. Mr White said that when he and the other gardener went in to the house they found Mick Sheehan lying on his side in the kitchen. They commenced CPR. Mr White stated that a female first responder took over CPR upon her arrival and a defibrillator was also used by medics at the scene. Meanwhile, Garda Don Coomey gave evidence of going to the Sheehan home after he was informed of the death of the retired tax consultant. He noted that was a small number of wasps in a nest out the back of the property. Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, gave evidence on behalf of another pathologist who had carried out the postmortem on the deceased. She said that Mr Sheehan suffered around five to six wasp stings on his head, back and arms. She said that very high levels of tryptase were recorded. Elevated levels of tryptase can be a marker for severe anaphylactic reactions, including those triggered by insect stings. Dr Bolster told members of the family that Mr Sheehan suffered a swelling of the larynx which obstructed his breathing causing him to 'collapse very suddenly.' Dr Bolster stated that Mr Sheehan had suffered a massive allergic reaction. She told the family that she didn't think that 'anything could have been done' to change the outcome. Mr O'Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said it was 'most unfortunate' that Mr Sheehan died when he was 'innocently picking up hedge clippings.' The Coroner said that he met the late Mr Sheehan about a decade ago in a work capacity and found him to be a 'pleasure to deal with.' He offered his condolences to the Sheehan family on the loss of a much loved father and husband. He described Mr Sheehan as a 'noted expert' in the tax field. Inspector Mary Skehan also offered her heartfelt condolences to Carmel Sheehan, the couple's adult chidren Conor, Katie and Aine and the extended Sheehan family. Mr Sheehan retired a year prior to his death . He was remembered by colleagues as a 'thorough gentleman' with a 'quick wit.' He was also a devoted family man. Speaking after the inquest members of the Sheehan family urged the public to be aware of possible side effects of insect stings. They said that people who know that they have an allergic reaction to wasp or bee stings should consider investing in EpiPens. Anaphylaxis UK says that for the majority of people an insect sting is uncomfortable but not dangerous. Tragically, for some, a bee or wasp sting can be serious and lead to potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Cork father of three died after getting five or six wasp stings, inquest hears
A 56-year-old father of three died at his home in Macroom, Co Cork, last year after he received five or six wasp stings as he picked up hedge clippings to the rear of his property, an inquest has heard. Michael (Mick) Sheehan, originally from Ballinlough in Cork City, was pronounced dead at 2.16pm on November 5, 2024, at his home in Glen Tanar, Carriganine, Macroom. His wife Carmel Sheehan told an inquest at Macroom Court on Wednesday that at around noon on that day, her husband was on the phone in his study. Shortly afterwards, he told her that he was going out to help two men who were cutting the hedge at his property. After a short period, he came into their home and stated that he was 'after getting stung by a wasp'. Ms Sheehan said that her husband was not showing any ill effects at this point. There was no obvious cause for concern. Ms Sheehan realised that there wasn't any over-the-counter allergy medication in the family medicine cabinet. She then decided to make the short journey one mile down the road to the local chemist to pick up the allergy medication Zirtek. When Ms Sheehan returned to the property, she found her husband 'face down on the kitchen floor'. She ran out the back to the two men who were working in the garden. She said they all rushed into the house. 'I [then] saw John [the gardener] trying to get Mick to respond. He was sitting Mick up and slapping his face.' Ms Sheehan called an ambulance. The emergency services were alerted and the Irish Community Air Ambulance from Rathcoole landed in the nearby golf club. Ms Sheehan said that when she knew the air ambulance was coming, she rushed down to try to show the medics the shortcut to her house. When she arrived back to the house, a first responder told her that if she had prayers to say it was probably the appropriate time to start them. Ms Sheehan said that sometime after 2pm, consultant in emergency medicine Dr Jason van der Velde informed her that her husband had passed away. A local priest was contacted and prayers were said in the kitchen before the deceased was brought to the morgue at Cork University Hospital for an autopsy. Ms Sheehan told coroner Frank O'Connell that her husband was 'absolutely fine' when she left to go to the chemist. She made it to and from the local pharmacy in a handful of minutes. She said that before she left, her husband was understandably a little "agitated". However, there was nothing to suggest what would later occur. No history of allergies Ms Sheehan said her husband had no history of allergies. A statement was read into evidence from gardener John White. Mr White said that when he and the other gardener went into the house, they found Mr Sheehan lying on his side in the kitchen. They commenced CPR. Mr White stated that a female first responder took over CPR upon her arrival and a defibrillator was also used by medics at the scene. Meanwhile, Garda Don Coomey gave evidence of going to the Sheehan home after he was informed of the death of the retired tax consultant. He noted that there was a small number of wasps in a nest at the back of the property. Dr Margaret Bolster, assistant State pathologist, gave evidence on behalf of another pathologist who had carried out the autopsy on the deceased. She said that Mr Sheehan suffered around five to six wasp stings on his head, back, and arms. She said that very high levels of tryptase were recorded. Elevated levels of tryptase can be a marker for severe anaphylactic reactions, including those triggered by insect stings. Dr Bolster told members of the family that Mr Sheehan suffered a swelling of the larynx which obstructed his breathing, causing him to 'collapse very suddenly'. Dr Bolster stated that Mr Sheehan had suffered a massive allergic reaction. She told the family that she did not think that 'anything could have been done' to change the outcome. Verdict of accidental death Mr O'Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said it was 'most unfortunate' that Mr Sheehan died when he was 'innocently picking up hedge clippings'. The coroner said that he met the late Mr Sheehan about a decade ago in a work capacity and found him to be a 'pleasure to deal with'. He offered his condolences to the Sheehan family on the loss of a much-loved father and husband. He described Mr Sheehan as a 'noted expert' in the tax field. Inspector Mary Skehan also offered her heartfelt condolences to Ms Sheehan, the couple's adult chidren Conor, Katie, and Áine and the extended Sheehan family. Mr Sheehan retired a year prior to his death. He was remembered by colleagues as a 'thorough gentleman' with a 'quick wit.' He was also a devoted family man. Speaking after the inquest, members of the Sheehan family urged the public to be aware of the possible side effects of insect stings. They said that people who know that they have an allergic reaction to wasp or bee stings should consider investing in EpiPens.
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Cork man died after he received five to six wasp stings, inquest hears
A man died at his Co Cork home after he received five or six wasp stings as he picked up hedge clippings to the rear of his property, an inquest has heard. Michael (Mick) Sheehan, originally from Ballinlough, Cork City, was pronounced dead at 2.16pm on November 5th last year at his home in Glen Tanar in Carriganine, Macroom. His wife Carmel Sheehan told the inquest on Wednesday how her 56-year-old husband had gone out to help two men who were cutting the hedge at his property some time after noon. After a short period, the retired tax consultant came into the house and told her he was 'after getting stung by a wasp'. READ MORE Mrs Sheehan said her husband, a father of three, was not showing any ill effects at this point. There was no obvious cause for concern. She realised there was not any over-the-counter allergy medication in the family medicine cabinet, so she made the short journey to the local chemist to get the allergy medication Zirtek. When Mrs Sheehan returned to the property she found her husband 'face down on the kitchen floor'. She ran out the back to the two men who were working in the garden. She said they all rushed in to the house. 'I [then] saw John [the gardener] trying to get Mick to respond. He was sitting Mick up and slapping his face.' Mrs Sheehan called an ambulance. The Irish Community Air Ambulance from Rathcoole landed in the nearby golf club. Mrs Sheehan said that when she knew the air ambulance was coming she rushed down to try to show the medics the shortcut to her house. When she arrived back to the house, a first responder told her that if she had prayers to say then it was probably the appropriate time to start them. Mrs Sheehan said that sometime after 2pm the emergency medicine consultant Dr Jason van der Velde told her that her husband had died. A priest was contacted and prayers were said in the kitchen before Mr Sheehan's body was taken to the morgue at Cork University Hospital for a postmortem. Garda Don Coomey gave evidence of going to the Sheehan home after he was told of the death. He said there was a small number of wasps in a nest at the back of the property. Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said Mr Sheehan had suffered five or six wasp stings on his head, back and arms. She said very high levels of tryptase were recorded. Elevated levels of tryptase can be a marker for severe anaphylactic reactions, including those triggered by insect stings. Dr Bolster said Mr Sheehan suffered a swelling of the larynx which obstructed his breathing, causing him to 'collapse very suddenly.' She said he had suffered a massive allergic reaction. She told the family she did not think that 'anything could have been done' to change the outcome. Coroner Frank O'Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said it was 'most unfortunate' that Mr Sheehan died when he was 'innocently picking up hedge clippings'. After the inquest at Macroom Court, members of the Sheehan family urged the public to be aware of possible side effects of insect stings. They said people who know they have an allergic reaction to wasp or bee stings should consider investing in EpiPens. These medical devices that are used in an emergency to inject life-saving adrenaline into people when they have severe allergic reactions.
RTÉ News
14 hours ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Cork man died due to several wasp stings, inquest hears
A 56-year-old man died at his home in Macroom, Co Cork, last year after he received five or six wasp stings as he picked up hedge clippings to the rear of his property, an inquest has heard. Michael 'Mick' Sheehan, who was originally from Ballinlough in Cork city, was pronounced dead at 2.16pm on 5 November 2024 at his home in Glen Tanar, Carriganine in Macroom. His wife, Carmel Sheehan, told an inquest at Macroom Court that at around noon on 5 November her husband was on the phone in his study. Shortly afterwards, she said he told her that he was going out to help two men who were cutting the hedge at his property. After a short period, she added he came back to into their home and said he was "after getting stung by a wasp". Ms Sheehan said her husband was not showing any ill effects at this point and that there was no obvious cause for concern. Ms Sheehan realised that there was no over the counter allergy medication in the family medicine cabinet. She then decided to make the short journey, one mile from their home, to the local chemist to pick up the allergy medication Zirtek. When Ms Sheehan returned to the property, she said she found her husband "face down on the kitchen floor". She said she ran out to the back of house to the two men who were working in the garden, adding they all rushed into the house. "I (then) saw John (the gardener) trying to get Mick to respond. He was sitting Mick up and slapping his face," she said. No history of allergies Ms Sheehan called an ambulance. The emergency services were alerted and the Irish Community Air Ambulance from Rathcoole landed in the nearby golf club. Ms Sheehan said when she knew the air ambulance was coming, she rushed to try to show the medics the shortcut to her house. When she arrived back to the house, a first responder told her that if she had prayers to say it was probably the appropriate time to start them. She said that sometime after 2pm consultant in emergency medicine Dr Jason van der Velde informed her that her husband had passed away. A local priest was contacted and prayers were said in the kitchen before the deceased was brought to the morgue at Cork University Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Ms Sheehan told Coroner Frank O'Connell that her husband was "absolutely fine" when she left to go to the chemist. She made it to and from the local pharmacy in a handful of minutes. She said that before she left her husband was understandably a little "agitated", however, there was nothing to suggest what would later happen. Ms Sheehan said her husband had no history of allergies. A statement was read into evidence from gardener John White. Mr White said when he and the other gardener entered the house, they found Mr Sheehan lying on his side in the kitchen and they then commenced CPR. Mr White said a female first responder took over CPR upon her arrival and a defibrillator was also used by medics at the scene. Garda Don Coomey also gave evidence of going to the Sheehan home after he was informed of the death of the father of three and retired tax consultant. He noted there was a small number of wasps in a nest outside in the back of the property. 'Most unfortunate' Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster gave evidence on behalf of another pathologist, who had carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr Sheehan. She said Mr Sheehan suffered around five to six wasp stings on his head, back and arms. She said that very high levels of tryptase were recorded. Elevated levels of tryptase can be a marker for severe anaphylactic reactions, including those triggered by insect stings. Dr Bolster told members of the family that Mr Sheehan suffered a swelling of the larynx, which obstructed his breathing causing him to "collapse very suddenly". Dr Bolster said Mr Sheehan had suffered a massive allergic reaction. She told the family that she did not think that "anything could have been done" to change the outcome. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. Mr O'Connell said it was "most unfortunate" that Mr Sheehan died when he was "innocently picking up hedge clippings". The coroner said he met the late Mr Sheehan about a decade ago in a work capacity and found him to be a "pleasure to deal with". He offered his condolences to the Sheehan family on the loss of a much-loved father and husband. He described Mr Sheehan as a "noted expert" in the tax field. Inspector Mary Skehan also offered her condolences to Ms Sheehan and the couple's adult children Conor, Katie and Aine in conjunction with the extended Sheehan family. Mr Sheehan retired a year prior to his death and was remembered by colleagues as a "thorough gentleman" with a "quick wit". He was also a devoted family man. Speaking after the inquest, members of the Sheehan family urged the public to be aware of possible side effects of insect stings. They said that people who know that they have an allergic reaction to wasp or bee stings should consider investing in EpiPens. Anaphylaxis UK says for the majority of people an insect sting is uncomfortable but not dangerous. Tragically, for some, a bee or wasp sting can be serious and lead to potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.
