A Fishguard grandmother died after sustaining extreme injuries during an attack by the family dog, an inquest heard today, Wednesday, January 12.

Pembrokeshire coroner, Paul Bennett, heard that on August 10 last year 72-year-old Elizabeth Ray Walton had been babysitting for her grandchildren during the school summer holidays.

Coroner’s officer, Lisa Jenkins, told the hearing that Mrs Walton was a regular visitor at the home and that the family’s pet dogs were used to her and familiar with her.

On that day Mrs Walton’s eldest grandchild gone to run an errand and her youngest had gone out to play.

Her son-in-law arrived home in the afternoon to find his youngest daughter outside the house. He let her in and went into the house to find Mrs Walton lying on the floor of the utility room in the doorway to the kitchen.

She had injuries to her arms and legs and there was blood on the floor. He noticed that the divider to prevent the dogs from entering was not in place. It was obvious to him that one of the dogs had attacked her and that her injuries were serious, the inquest heard.

Mrs Walton was conscious and said that she was cold. He paced a pillow under her head and a duvet over her and called 999.

Mrs Walton was airlifted to Morriston Hospital with extreme injuries to her legs. The inquest heard that she underwent several medical procedures in hospital and that her arm was amputated.

Unfortunately, Mrs Walton did not regain consciousness and died at 2.50am on September 1 last year.

The inquest heard that the dog involved had been put down.

A medical report by Dr John Lloyd-Evans at Morriston Hospital gave the cause of death as myocardial infarction, ventilator associated pneumonia, septic shock and dog bite injuries.

“It is sadly one of those tragic situations where a dog has clearly undertaken a series of attacks on Mrs Walton,” said Pembrokeshire coroner, Paul Bennett.

“This has caused her to sustain significant injuries. These injuries resulted in her being hospitalised.

“The sad fact is that for whatever reason, Mrs Walton was the victim of this incident and in that sense of the word has been subject to an accident. It was not a deliberate act, it was an accidental occurrence.”

He said that Mrs Walton had died as the result of the effects of septic shock caused by dog bites she sustained on August 10.

“In these circumstances it seems appropriate for me to record a conclusion of accidental death,” he said.

 

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