Medical Misadventure

In April 2020 a postmortem was carried out on Michael Daly Snr of Limerick and returned a verdict of death by natural causes. However, later the medical notes of the deceased were discovered by his son and a second postmortem was carried out.

The second coroner, John McNamara modified the findings from death from cardiac failure to cardiac disease on a background of recent bowel cancer, surgeries, infection, sepsis and peritonitis.

The coroner’s decision was based on a review of the case by the former State pathologist Prof. Marie Cassidy who was commissioned as an independent witness.

On reviewing all the evidence of the medical history of the deceased that on the balance of probabilities, which was the appropriate standard to assess the case on, the coroner was satisfied that the appropriate verdict was one of medical misadventure. brought about by the sepsis infection.

In the Matter of Michael Daly Snr, Deceased Limerick Coroner’s Court, 9 March 2023