This article is from page 2 of the 2006-11-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
A WOMAN suffered horrific injuries when she was dragged along the ground by a donkey. She died as a result, three months later.
Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that Jane Welford, (53), of Derroran, Mountshannon, suffered severe injuries as a result of a fall off a donkey at Sellarnane, Mountshannon, on May 16, 2004.
She had been moving a donkey from one field to another, when a dog belonging to a local man barked. The donkey reacted to this by bolting, Ms Welford fell and was dragged a considerable distance along the road.
The inquest was told the donkey would stop and then move again, dragging Ms Welford along the ground in the process. The rope twisted around her and she sustained severe head injuries.
She was taken to hospital and was later transferred to the Lakes’ Nursing Home in Killaloe, where she died on August 24. She had been recovering there for two weeks prior to her death.
One witness recalled seeing a donkey on the road, while Jane Welford was lying nearby.
She was attached to the donkey and appeared to be unconscious.
Garda Mick Mulryan, who attended the scene of the accident, said Ms Welford sustained severe head and facial injuries.
Mark Wilson recalled calling to Mr Welford’s house that afternoon. They discussed moving the donkey from one field to another.
“Jane decided to catch the donkey. I decided to go away so as not to frighten the donkey,” he recalled.
“She said she had trouble getting the donkey out of the field and away from other donkeys,” he said.
Stuart Myles said he was at his home in Sellernaun and saw Ms Welford lying on the road, attached to a donkey.
He tried to get near the donkey but as he did so, the animal would move away again. He eventually managed to get hold of the donkey.
Dr Jeffrey de Freitas carried out an autopsy on the deceased’s body. He concluded that death was due to acute respiratory failure.
“She had suffered significant head injuries due to the accident, with associated brain damage,” he said.
Coroner Isobel O’Dea said the accident was, “very unfortunate, where Ms Welford suffered very severe injuries, so severe that it was three months before she went to a nursing home for convalescence.”
She said the most appropriate verdict was one of accidental death.