A MAN who suffered a stroke at the wheel due to high blood pressure had been prescribed medication for the condition earlier that day, an inquest has heard.
Paul Connolly (41), Monien, Kinlough, Co Leitrim, was driving home following a routine visit to the renal unit at Sligo General Hospital to monitor his diabetes when he lost control of his car at Shanvaus on the Kinlough to Manorhamilton road.
The vehicle hit a number of trees in the incident on September 5th, 2007, before flipping on to its roof and crashing into a pillar of a house.
Mr Connolly sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to Sligo General Hospital by ambulance, before being transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin later that night.
He died of his injuries, including fractures of the skull and bruising and swelling of the brain, 10 days later.
A postmortem found that Mr Connolly had suffered a stroke caused by high blood pressure which caused his vehicle to go out of control, Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.
He had been prescribed medication for high blood pressure at Sligo hospital earlier that day and a prescription was recovered from his car.
A jury returned a verdict of accidental death under the direction of the coroner, Dr Brian Farrell.