Tragic death of local man in Roscrea
Father criticises delayed ambulance arrival
The father of a man who died at his home in Roscrea has questioned why it took two hours for an ambulance to arrive.
Ian McCarthy died at Cois Eaglais in the town last Thursday week. His father Karl took to Facebook to say that his son died from an asthma attack. He thanked everyone that tried to save his son, but said it took “near to two hours” for an ambulance to arrive at the scene.
“By then was too late,” Karl wrote in his Facebook post. “Actually, two ambulances arrived at same time. From where they came from, I don't know.
“When I asked ‘why did it take so long?’ ‘where did ye come from?’ I was met with silence, and then told I should complain.
“Complain to whom and what good will it do with my son lying dead on floor? I was told: ‘If you don't complain, it won't change’. It must be happening regularly if that's the case,” Karl wrote.
He recalled his son having serious asthma attacks on two previous occasions and the ambulance service responded within 20 minutes. Karl said his son could have been driven to hospital but the emergency services advised his family not to move him.
“Until someone tells me different, he died needlessly last night, leaving three beautiful children fatherless and a family and wife broken-hearted,” Ian’s father said.
“I never post anything on Facebook, I just wanted people to know what happened,” Karl concluded.
Asked to comment on the matter, the HSE confirmed that a call about an incident in Roscrea on the night of July 31/August 1 was received and the National Ambulance Service attended. “However, the HSE cannot comment further on individual cases when to do so might reveal information in relation to identifiable individuals, breaching the ethical requirement on us to observe our duty of confidentiality.
“The HSE welcomes the opportunity to engage with service users to understand their experience and to see if an opportunity for service improvement exists. In this regard, the HSE encourages any service users who wish to discuss their experience to contact the HSE directly through Your Service, Your Say.”
Ian was predeceased by his grandmother Kathleen. His death is deeply regretted by his wife Celine, his children Brian, Noreen and Alyssa; his parents Karl and Carmel, sisters Leanne and Louise, mother-in-law Noreen, aunts, uncles, niece Caoimhe, relatives, good neighbours and wide circle of friends.
Funeral Mass took place in St Cronan's Church, Roscrea, on Wednesday at 12 noon. Burial afterwards in the adjoining new cemetery. May he rest in peace.