THE DEATH of a teenage kick-boxing instructor, who collapsed while watching television at home, was due to sudden adult death syndrome, an inquest has heard.
Carl Malone (16), Templeroan Drive, Knocklyon, Dublin, was sitting on the couch watching television on the evening of November 13th, 2009, when his girlfriend, who was sitting on the ground, felt him fall back.
Shauna Bushe jumped up and turned on the light to find Carl unresponsive on the couch. She immediately alerted his parents, Sandra and Tony Malone, and an ambulance was called, Dublin County Coroner’s Court heard.
The teenager, who was described as very healthy and fit, was pronounced dead at Tallaght hospital just after 11pm.
A postmortem found Carl had a mildly increased heart size and that his death was best explained by sudden adult death syndrome.
Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty expressed his condolences to the teenager’s family and girlfriend. He recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.
Outside the court, Mr Malone said his son was a “really good kid and was loved by everybody who knew him”.
