Fall from roof led to cardiac arrest

A 79-year-old Dannevirke's man's determination to help builders fixing leaks on the roof of his house cost him his life, a coroner's inquiry has found.

Grant McDonald died from extensive internal injuries after falling from the roof of his house on February 15 last year.

Palmerston North coroner Carla na Nagara said Mr McDonald had builders at his home repairing leaks in the roof and, throughout the morning and early afternoon, he had been going up on to the roof to help them "despite his wife and the builder telling him not to".

In the middle of the afternoon, the builder and his labourer were working on one side of the roof, while Mr McDonald was over on the other side.

The pitch of the roof meant they could not see him properly but, after about 10 minutes, they noticed he was not there - and assumed he had simply gone back down the ladder.

At what she later described as "around afternoon tea time", Mrs McDonald went to the kitchen to prepare something for the builders and her husband to consume. She looked out the window and saw her husband lying on the grass with his neck over a concrete nibbing on the edge of a garden.

She called emergency services then rushed to help, calling out to the builders.

Mr McDonald was taken to Palmerston North Hospital where his injuries upon admission were assessed as broken bones in the hip, pelvis and the lower part of the back.

His condition deteriorated. A scan showed bleeding in the abdomen and he was taken for surgery, In the wake of that, and while still in theatre, he suffered a cardiac arrest and was later admitted to intensive care. His condition continued to deteriorate and he died three days later.

The pathologist noted Mr McDonald died of a widespread haemorrhage in association with his "traumatic" injuries.

Coronary artery disease, which was detected at the post mortem, was also a contributing factor.