The sale of cheap alcohol was criticised by Wexford's south county coroner yesterday as he heard details of the deaths of two Polish men who drank highly toxic levels of alcohol.
Zbigniew Duda (38) died in New Ross on May 21st , 2006, and had a blood/alcohol concentration of 467mg per cent, while Patryk Rzezawski (19) died at Ballyconnigar, Blackwater, on February 10th, 2007, with a blood/alcohol concentration of 429 mg per cent.
Mr Duda had been drinking cheap Russian vodka, while Mr Rzezawski had been drinking whiskey. After hearing of Mr Rzezawski's death, coroner Jimmy Murphy said this was the second death due to "cheap spirits".
The inquest heard Mr Duda arrived back at his apartment block, The Moorings, New Ross, on May 21st, 2006, after drinking Russian vodka. He was found unconscious in the common hallway and was dragged into his apartment by friends. He subsequently died there.
Garda Michael Dee, who was called to the scene at about 12.30am, said Mr Duda, a truck driver, had allegedly been snoring in the common hallway for half an hour. He was pronounced dead at 12.41am.
Dr Maurice Murphy, who performed a postmortem on the deceased at Waterford Regional Hospital, said his liver was large, weighing 2,300 grammes, and pale. A toxicology report showed a blood/alcohol concentration of 467mg per cent. Dr Murphy said death was due to central nervous system depression secondary to toxic levels of blood ethanol.
In the second inquest, Garda Michael Fitzpatrick said that at about 10pm on February 10th, 2007, he received a report of a body on the Blackwater to Ballyconnigar road. At a laneway leading to Christine Keymer's stud farm, he found Mr Rzezawski lying face-down. There was an empty whiskey bottle at the scene. The inquest heard Mr Rzezawski went into Wexford town earlier with three friends, with whom he shared a mobile home on the stud farm. He was drinking the whiskey in the taxi the four men took back to Blackwater.
A postmortem by Dr Murphy revealed a blood/alcohol concentration of 429mg per cent. He said death was due to central nervous system depression secondary to acute alcohol intoxication.