Occurrences of adults drowning in bathtubs are “very, very rare”, according to Irish Water Safety chief executive John Leech. “Parents are distracted by telephones or the doorbell rings, and the child is left in the bath on their own. A postmortem report concluded the cause of death was drowning, with elevated blood alcohol level as a contributory factor. Ms Farrelly had a blood alcohol level of 329 mg per cent, which is “quite high but not a lethal level” according to Dr Cullinane. Either falling asleep and sliding down or having a turn, we cannot prove either,” Dr Cullinane said, returning a verdict of death by misadventure.

Source: The Irish Times September 07, 2018 00:00 UTC