'Thank God it's finally over': Limerick family reacts to verdict following second inquest

THERE WAS a loud exhalation of breath in unison from the family and relatives of the late Mike Daly Snr at his inquest when the Limerick coroner read out a verdict of medical misadventure.

One family member stood up and held a framed photograph of Mr Daly Snr. Tears were wiped away. The sense of relief was palpable in Kilmallock Court.

The second inquest, which concluded this  Thursday afternoon, had taken four days but it was the culmination of years of campaigning from Michael Daly Jnr and the Daly family. Mr Daly Jnr had spent years going through his father's medical records.

Verdict returned in relation to death of Limerick man following treatment at University Hospital Limerick

Speaking after the verdict Mr Daly Jnr read out a statement on behalf of the Daly family.

"I would like to thank the coroner and his staff for all their diligence and hard work in bringing this second inquest into our father's death to a conclusion.

"We always knew as a family that if the full body of evidence was presented the coroner would come to the the verdict he reached. As a family all we wanted to know was what exactly happened to our father and all the circumstances around his passing in April 2010," said Mr Daly Jnr, who paid particular thanks to their legal team led by Doireann O'Mahony BL.

Ms O'Mahony had earlier spoken of Mr Daly Jnr's "tenacity" when he "battled to get (medical) records".

Mr Daly Jnr said: "It was horrendous having to go through records to find out bit by bit what happened and come across a series of incidents."

Verdict returned in relation to death of Limerick man following treatment at University Hospital Limerick

His mum Mary, who clutched a picture of her late husband, said they had had a good life together and were very happy.

Asked what her reaction was to the verdict of medical misadventure, Mrs Daly said she was "delighted".

She agreed it had been a long road and "thank God it's finally over".