Following the sad death earlier in the week of an Island resident after consuming poisonous death cap mushrooms, the Coroner’s inquest has just taken place at the County Court in Newport. It was opened and adjourned.
The coroner, John Matthews, reported that 39 year old Amphon Tuckey (The County Press tell us that she was known on the Island as June) was pronounced dead at 7.12am on Wednesday morning.
The circumstances which led to her death were revealed by the coroner who informed those assembled that the mushrooms were picked sometime before Monday, in an area of uncultivated land described as a grass paddock, between the coastal path and cricket ground at the Ventnor Botanic Gardens.
The mushrooms were prepared with some Thai sausages that had been purchased on the mainland and were consumed at around 2pm on Monday.
By 9pm Mrs Tuckey was violently ill and at 1.30am a call was made to the out of hours medical service. Paramedics attended and they thought that the illness was related to the sausages and a call was made to Mrs Tuckey’s GP the following morning at 8.45am.
Dr Issac, who wasn’t aware of the mushroom consumption, prescribed medication for gastroenteritis.
Mrs Tuckey experienced more illness throughout the day and next evening and was reported to have fallen out of bed that night. Her husband put her back into bed, but did not see her alive again after that.
Her death is not being treated suspiciously and it is thought that no foul play was involved.
Mrs Tuckey’s niece, Kannika Tuckey, who also ate the mushrooms on Monday, was taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Newport on Wednesday morning, which is when the consumption of mushrooms was identified.
She has now been moved to King’s College Hospital in London and is in a critical state suffering with liver damage.
A small number of death cap mushrooms were located and identified by the head gardener at the Ventnor Botanic Gardens and have been removed.
There have been no other reports of similar incidents on the Island this week and Police are continuing to urge caution to anyone thinking of picking wild mushrooms.
Our sincere condolences go out to the family.
