Man had toxic levels of heroin in his system, Limerick inquest hears

A MAN who was found dead in the toilets at Colbert Station had consumed a toxic amount of heroin as well as other drugs.

His inquest was told the alarm was raised at around 8.20pm on September 15, 2018 after he was discovered by a security guard slumped in one of the cubicles.

The 34-year-old, who was from County Clare, was unresponsive and the security guard immediately contacted emergency services.

He told Limerick Coroner’s Court he performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Pathologist, Dr Teresa Laszlo said a number prescription drugs were detected in the man’s system along with toxic levels of morphine which is associated with severe heroin use.

Toxicology tests confirmed he had not consumed any alcohol.

Dr Lazlo, who is attached to University Hospital Limerick,  said it was not possible to say exactly when the deceased had consumed the heroin or over what timeframe he had taken it.

She said the postmortem showed he had aspirated some food from his stomach shortly before his death as a result of his severe drug use.

When asked by Coroner John McNamara, members of the deceased man’s family confirmed he was a drug user and had been on a methadone programme.

The coroner noted a number of other drugs were also detected in the man’s system and that sometimes different drugs can interact with each other.

After hearing the evidence, Mr McNamara said he was obliged to return a verdict.

He said the deceased had not intended to die and that a verdict of misadventure was appropriate in the circumstances.