Man choked to death on 6cm piece of steak

A MAN who choked to death on a piece of steak had run in a panic to his next door neighbour’s house for help, an inquest has heard

Edward Healy, 64, was struggling to breathe when he banged on his neighbour’s front door on June 17, 2017, after a 6cm piece of steak became lodged in his throat.

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard Mr Healy had had surgery for neck cancer in 2008. His family told the court that he had only been alone for a few hours that day.

Aidan Burke, who is trained in first aid, answered the door and attempted the Heimlich manoeuvre on Mr Healy.

‘It was around 7pm I heard banging on the front door. It was loud and kept going, so I got out of the shower. Mr Healy was standing there holding his throat, struggling to breathe,’ Mr Burke said.

Neighbour Liz Burke returned to the house to find Mr Healy, of Dromheath Avenue, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15 at the front door.

‘He was grabbing his throat... he was clearly choking,’ Mrs Burke said. She phoned an ambulance. The Burkes tried to calm Mr Healy, but he became weak.

‘We got him to sit on a chair. His breaths got more shallow and he was struggling to breathe,’ Mrs Burke said.

Paramedics worked to save his life and he was transferred to Connolly Hospital arriving at 8.31pm. A piece of meat was removed from his windpipe but resuscitation efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at 8.37pm.

A post-mortem report gave the cause of death as asphyxia due to choking on a piece of steak. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of accidental death.

‘One couldn’t discount some connection between his original surgery [in 2008] since he complained of difficulty swallowing after,’ she said. ‘This is something that happened out of the blue and despite being next door to good and immediate help, he still died. It is frightening.’