The death of a former League of Ireland footballer last year was partly due to a fall from a train 30 years earlier, an inquest heard today.
Joseph Murphy, 57, was residing at St Glady's Nursing Home, Harold's Cross, Dublin, for the final four years of his life.
Previously, the father of two lived a full and independent life despite suffering a catastrophic injury that left him in a coma for five months in 1986.
Mr Murphy, who was an electrician, was offered contract work in the UK, and was invited to play football with a club as part of the deal.
In September 1986 he was travelling on an overcrowded train with three companions on the Holyhead to London Express when the accident happened.
Mr Murphy, who was seated in the area between carriages, is thought to have fallen off the train after leaning against a door, which then opened.
The train, which had left Holyhead in north Wales a short time earlier, was travelling at 145km/h at the time.
Mr Murphy's younger brother, Phillip Murphy, said it is possible he was smoking a cigarette at the time.
"His pal went to the toilet and left Joe to mind the tools but when he came back he found the door open and no sign of Joe," Mr Murphy said.
Joe Murphy sustained a significant traumatic head injury in the fall.
"Doctors gave him a 50-50 chance of survival. It was only the third time the surgeon involved had carried out the required brain operation.
"He spent five months in a coma and woke up a completely different person," Phillip Murphy said.
Mr Murphy went on to learn to speak and walk again following therapy at the National Rehabilitation Centre, where he regained much of his independence.
"He defied all the odds, he taught himself to do everything again," his brother said. However, he was plagued by seizures for the rest of his life.
Originally from Terenure, Mr Murphy had played for Shelbourne in the early 1980s, his brother said.
The man's GP Dr Charles O'Malley described him as handsome, personable, entertaining and a good footballer.
The family paid tribute to staff at St Glady's Nursing Home. Mr Murphy developed pneumonia and was admitted to St James's Hospital where he died on 5 November 2015.
The cause of death was sepsis with the initial brain injury resulting from the train fall a contributory factor.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a narrative verdict setting out the circumstances of his death.
