*Bernard Kennedy died in November 2023.
AN 82-year old man died of hypothermia when unable to get up from a fall outside his remote West Clare home on a Winter’s night after his 78 year old wife collapsed unconscious while trying to ring for help, an inquest has heard.
At the Clare Coroner’s Court in Kilrush, County Coroner, Isobel O’Dea returned a verdict in the death of Bernard Kennedy of Drumellihy, Cree that was in line with the medical evidence after a post mortem found that Mr Kennedy died of hypothermia after a fall outside his home on the evening of November 5th 2023.
Ms O’Dea said that Mr Kennedy’s health was also compromised because of cardiac and bronchitis issues as highlighted in the conclusions of the post mortem report.
When Mr Kennedy’s body was discovered outside his home close to midday on November 6th by a neighbour who alerted the Gardaí, rigor mortis had already set in on the remains of Mr Kennedy.
Originally from Thomondgate, Limerick City, Mr Kennedy and his wife, Annette were married for 59 years and lived for the last 20 years at their home in Cree in West Clare. The inquest heard that the health of the two deteriorated in recent years.
In her deposition, Mrs Kennedy said that on November 5th 2023 she was ill in bed with COVID-19.
Mrs Kennedy said that evening a friend phoned for Bernard – who worked as a painter for Limerick Corporation for many years – and she went looking for Bernard and found him outside and as he walked towards her he fell.
Mr Kennedy was without shoes and socks and a top and Mrs Kennedy said, “I walked over to Bernard and tried to lift him up. I said a prayer to Saint Mary but I couldn’t lift him up. I tried two times to lift him but I couldn’t”.
Mrs Kennedy said that she phoned for help but there was no answer and missed calls were found on Mrs Kennedy’s phone the next morning from one of the people she tried to contact.
She said, “I then went into the house. I was really sick and I collapsed. That is all I remember until the next morning when I was informed that Bernard had died.”
A neighbour, John Considine said that at around 11.55am the next morning as he was going about checking his cattle he said he saw something on the ground outside the Kennedy home and as he got near he could see that it was Bernard Kennedy and he was dead.
Mr Considine said that Annette Kennedy was found on the floor of a bedroom and had legs up against the inside of a door and the door had to be pushed to get in.
John Considine said that Mrs Kennedy “seemed dazed and confused”.
He said, “Her face was all swollen. She didn’t look like the woman I have known from walking the road”.
Tony Hannon told the inquest that Mr Kennedy was his ‘best pal’ and said that Annette “is a very good person and had looked after Bernard for many years”.
The inquest heard that Bernard had several falls around that time including one a few days previous where he sustained two black eyes.
Ms O’Dea told Mrs Kennedy who was present that what happened “must have been a huge shock to everyone involved”. In reply, Mrs Kennedy said, “Absolutely”.
