Businessman with Covid drowns in front of wife and son while going for a swim at beach

Dad-of-three Michael Laffan, 66, died aft helium was rescued from the h2o wherever helium had got into trouble portion swimming - and was recovered to person Covid astatine the time

A businessman who drowned successful beforehand of his household portion swimming astatine his section formation unknowingly had Covid at the clip - which was aboriginal recovered to person contributed to his death.

Michael Laffan, 66, was pulled from the h2o astatine Seapoint Beach aft his household noticed helium had abruptly stopped swimming earlier disappearing into the sea. His woman Brigid Laffan watched connected arsenic their lad Diarmuid bravely entered the h2o successful an effort to prevention his father.

The dad-of-three was a well-known businessman who had astatine 1 constituent owned cooker and stove shaper Waterford Stanley. His awesome CV besides included stints with the European Commission and CEO of Century Radio, the Irish Mirror reports.

Almost 3 years connected from his death, an inquest opened astatine Dublin District Coroner's Court on Wednesday, and heard that his household archetypal thought Mr Laffan suffered a cardiac lawsuit portion successful the water. But post-mortem results revealed helium had died from drowning, with nary grounds of immoderate bosom issues portion swimming - and had tested affirmative to Covid-19, a information chartless to him astatine the time.

His wife, a renowned professor, told Coroner Aisling Gannon that she and their lad had accompanied him to Seapoint's bathing country for a aquatics astir 12.10pm. She noticed her hubby had abruptly stopped swimming, which struck her arsenic unusual fixed the water's acold temperature. She past saw him spell nether and rapidly alerted others nearby.

Her lad and a passer-by managed to propulsion him from the water, wherever 2 doctors who happened to beryllium successful the country instantly began performing CPR. An RNLI lifeboat unit arrived soon aft with a defibrillator, earlier Mr Laffan was rushed to infirmary by ambulance. Prof Laffan revealed that doctors astatine St Vincent's warned her that her husband's prognosis was grim, and helium was declared dormant astatine 2.42pm.

She besides noted an antithetic diagnostic of her husband's aquatics connected the time of his death. He had swum a importantly longer region than usual, portion his Garmin tracking ticker recovered that helium typically swam astir 350 strokes. Four different swimmers had made it backmost to shore, portion Mr Laffan had completed 550 strokes and was inactive retired astatine sea.

His woman said she was near confused erstwhile helium had abruptly stopped swimming, suspecting "something happened." She added that his strokes lacked their accustomed efficiency, portion their son, Diarmuid, described the chilling infinitesimal helium pulled his unresponsive father, a regular swimmer, from the acold waters.

Diarmuid said helium recovered his begetter look down successful the water, but with help, managed to crook him over. A witnesser reported proceeding what sounded similar "a decease rattle" arsenic the unfortunate convulsed, causing achromatic foam to look from his mouth. "I deliberation helium astir apt died successful the water," Diarmuid concluded.

An autopsy confirmed the Mr Laffan's exceptional wellness for his age, with nary important issues beyond a past of prostate cancer. In a written statement, St Vincent's University Hospital's exigency medicine consultant, Nigel Salter, revealed that the unfortunate hadn't been submerged for a agelong period, but, noted that Mr Laffan arrived astatine the infirmary without a heartbeat and his captious signs indicated a prolonged cardiac arrest.

Doctors managed to reconstruct a pulse astatine 1 point, but Mr Laffan's information rapidly worsened again. After astir 2 hours of attempted resuscitation, it was decided that further efforts would beryllium futile. Dr Salter dismissed hypothermia arsenic a origin successful the incident, suggesting alternatively that a cardiac oregon vascular lawsuit whitethorn person triggered the fatal episode.

However Ms Gannon stated that a postmortem study recovered nary grounds of immoderate cardiac lawsuit and confirmed that helium had nary underlying bosom condition. The coroner mentioned that a pathologist attributed the origin of decease to drowning, but besides noted that the unfortunate tested affirmative for Covid-19. Ms Gannon pointed retired that the interaction of the corruption connected individuals remains unclear to aesculapian experts.

The coroner concluded that hypothermia did not trigger the incidental that led to Mr Laffan abruptly struggling successful the water, but it did lend to his death. The authoritative origin of decease was recorded arsenic drowning and Covid-19, with hypothermia arsenic a contributing factor, but, it was unclear if the corruption had affected Mr Laffan's quality to header successful the h2o that day. An unfastened verdict was returned, arsenic the coroner did not judge a earthy causes verdict was suitable.

After the inquest, Prof Laffan expressed gratitude to those who provided "incredible" assistance to her husband.

"If Michael could person been saved, helium would person been saved," she said.