Coroner's Finding: Sheehan, Leon Dennis

Male·Positional asphyxia following traumatic injuries sustained in a single motor vehicle crash

Leon Dennis Sheehan died from positional asphyxia after a single-vehicle motor accident. He was trapped upside down in his vehicle by the seat belt for at least 20 minutes before extrication. The crash occurred while he was driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.287 g/100mL—nearly six times the legal driving limit—which significantly impaired his driving ability and caused him to lose control on a straight section of road. Emergency services response was appropriate for the isolated location. The death was not preventable from a clinical perspective, being primarily the result of traumatic injury sustained in a crash caused by alcohol impairment.