A CORK man has died after falling from his bedroom window while sleepwalking. He was seriously injured in the fall from the first floor window and died a short time later in hospital.
Mr Kenneth McKiernan (23), from Station Road, Blarney, Co Cork, is survived by his parents, Pat and Pearl McKiernan, and his sister Susan.
A member of the FCA and of the Blarney Brass and Reed Band he walked through the glass in the large bedroom window and fell about 16 feet to the garden. He was discovered by his father at about 1.30 a.m. on Saturday.
He was bleeding profusely and was taken to Cork University Hospital, where he died a short time later. His mother was a patient in the same hospital and was discharged temporarily to attend the funeral on Monday.
Colleagues from the FCA and the local band, of which he was a member, formed a guard of honour at his funeral Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Blarney and afterwards attended the burial in All Saints Cemetery in Garrycloyne.
A Cork GP, Dr Con Kelleher, pointed out that people walked in their sleep for a number of reasons, including stress or if they were were light sleepers. He advised keeping windows and doors locked at night to prevent sleepwalkers hurting themselves.
There have been a number of incidents of people falling to their deaths while sleepwalking, including a British holidaymaker in Spain some time ago.