The sad circumstances of the tragic death, of a 61-years-old Tyrrellspass man, after a freak accident while working in a shed at the rear of his home, were described at an inquest in Dublin Coroner’s Court last week, when a jury returned a verdict of accidental death from fatal haemorrhage in the case of Brian Pimley of Dublin Road, Tyrrellspass.
The deceased, a self-employed upholsterer and father of four, had been working on a chair in the workshop behind his home when the accident occurred on 8 April, 2014. The inquest was told that Mr. Pimley had up to four decades of experience at re-upholstering furniture and had been using a long needle, up to a foot in length, to remove staples from the chair.
The long needle, described as a “button needle” pierced Mr. Pimley’s eye and through his brain to the back of his head. After being found by his wife lying on the floor, and telling her he stuck a needle in his eye, and then fell backwards, she summoned help and he was rushed to Tullamore Regional Hospital and from there to Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, but he died 24 hours later.
The inquest was told that Mr. Pimley routinely used the foot-long needle as part of his work. His wife, Helen Pimley described how he was fixing a spring on a chair, and using a long thin needle to remove staples. She noticed his tea going cold and went out to the shed and saw him lying on the floor. She though he had suffered a heart attack. He was able to tell her what happened.
“His exact words were, I stuck a needle in my eye, then fell backwards and heard a crack, she said. She noticed the needle on the floor beside him.
Mr. Pimley’s sister, Rita, described the needle as a giant sewing needle, and said it was being used for a purpose for which it was not designed.
John Marshall, advance paramedic, said he arrived at the scene at 2.26pm and the injured man was agitated and confused. He had a swelling to the left side of his face and his left eye was swollen shut. The injured man was rushed to Tullamore Regional Hospital and then to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, where he died twenty four hours later.
David O’Brien, a neurosurgeon at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, in his report, said that Mr. Pimley had sustained a severe penetrating ocular cerebral injury. A CT scan revealed significant intra-cranial bleeding. The needle had penetrated his brain.
Dr. Michael Farrell, Pathologist, who carried out a postmortem at Beaumont Hospital, said he noted an exit wound to the rear of the brain, which was originally thought to be the result of Mr. Pimley falling backwards and hitting his head. There was no evidence of any secondary brain injury.
The needle had gone through the deceased’s brain, to the back of his head. Cause of death was fatal haemorrhage as a result of the injury.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, in accordance with the medical evidence. Sympathy was extended to the deceased’s man’s wife and family.
