Elderly Wicklow man dies after falling through roof of his home

An elderly Wicklow man suffered fatal injuries after falling through a Perspex roof at his home in Arklow three years ago, an inquest had heard.

Matthew Shelton (83) died on July 24, 2021 at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin as a result of multiple traumatic injuries sustained in the fall earlier that day at his home on Griffith Street, Arklow.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard that there was no evidence that gardaí had examined the scene of the accident after they had been notified of Mr Shelton’s sudden death by hospital staff.

However, a Garda witness told the inquest that there was no concern that Mr Shelton’s death was due to any foul play.

Mr Shelton, a father of four and former factory worker and fisherman, had been climbing a ladder to work on the roof of his house, the inquest heard.

The deceased’s widow, Margaret Shelton, said she was in the house and went outside when she heard a noise.

The inquest heard she discovered her husband lying on the ground and making moaning noises.

“I was calling him. I got such a fright. I actually thought he was dead,” said Ms Shelton.

She said it looked like he had fallen through the Perspex roof.

However, Ms Shelton she could not really understand why he would have been up on the roof and she did not believe he would have tried to stand on the Perspex structure.

She said she had wondered if her husband, whom she described as being “very active” for his age, had suffered a heart attack while up on the ladder.

The coroner, Cróna Gallagher, said Mr Shelton had been brought to St Vincent’s by ambulance but that his condition had deteriorated quickly after arrival in the hospital.

Dr Gallagher said his blood pressure had dropped rapidly and he had required a blood transfusion.

She said he had suffered chest injuries which resulted in doctors being concerned he had some internal bleeding.

The coroner said postmortem results showed he had not suffered any acute cardiac event but had sustained fractured ribs and internal bleeding including a brain haemorrhage which were consistent with a fall from a height.

Dr Gallagher described Mr Shelton’s injuries as “not survivable.”

She said it could not be discounted that he had experienced “some kind of turn” or lost his concentration while on the ladder.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, Dr Gallagher offered her condolences to the deceased’s relatives on what was “a major fright and shock” over the manner of his passing.

The coroner said she was struck by Mr Shelton’s “energy levels and stubbornness.”

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