The tragic death of a 35-year-old Wigan man with 'so much to live for' who had taken cocaine
A Wigan man who collapsed at home at the age of 35 died after taking cocaine, an inquest heard.
Dayle Scully did not overdose on the drug, but Bolton Coroner’s Court heard it was likely to have affected his heart rhythm and led to his death.
An inquest was told he had used cocaine for many years, with his family saying he was a social user who took it every weekend.
Dayle was drinking on the evening of Friday, August 8, fell asleep on the sofa at his home in Platt Bridge and appeared to be okay the following day, only complaining that his stomach felt bloated.
But his dad Keith Burrows heard a bang at around 5.25pm and found his son in the bathroom where he seemed to be having a seizure.
He began CPR and an ambulance was called, but he was confirmed to have died soon after paramedics arrived.
Tests found “medium” levels of cocaine had been consumed at some point before he died and forensic toxicologist Hassan Kurimbokus said in his report that the concentration was lower than that typically associated with fatalities.
But the court heard cocaine can cause cardiotoxicity, which can led to arrhythmias – abnormal heart rhythms which can be fatal.
The drug can also reduce the seizure threshold for people with epilepsy, which Dayle was diagnosed with as a child.
His medical cause of death was recorded as cocaine toxicity.
Coroner Timothy Brennand said he believed Dayle was a “functioning addict” who may have been taking cocaine as a “coping mechanism”.
He said having epilepsy may have rendered him more susceptible to arrhythmia.
Mr Brennand said: “Dayle Anthony Scully was someone who had the benefit of being part of a tight, close-knit family. It is clear that he was much loved and much missed and that his death at the age of 35 has come as a total shock, something that was unpredictable to them, which simply serves to emphasise the sense of loss.”
He said Dayle had “so much to live for” and there was nothing to suggest he took an overdose or intended to end his life.
Mr Brennand recorded his death was drug-related.