Call could have 'saved' student

The inquiry is at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

A student who died after being left drunk and unconscious outside an Edinburgh pub could have lived if bar staff had phoned for an ambulance, a fatal accident inquiry has been told.

John O'Grady, 33, died after being left on the pavement outside Whistle Binkies pub last September.

The inquiry at Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard from medical staff who said that, if that phone call had been made, it probably would have saved Mr O'Grady's life.

Mr O'Grady was found slumped in the toilets of the pub, in Edinburgh's South Bridge, at around 0300 BST.

When doorman Leslie Healy tried to wake him, Mr O'Grady just groaned.

Police called

The doorman, with the help of two others, carried the unconscious man outside and left him on the pavement beside a refuse bag to sober up.

A bar worker told the court that, when she heard he was lying outside, she had tried to wake him.

When she could not, she phoned the police. They arrived minutes later and phoned for an ambulance.

That was around 45 minutes after Mr O'Grady had been discovered in the pub's toilets and medics were unable to resuscitate him.

Both paramedic Deborah Parker and Dr Paul Leonard agreed that Mr O'Grady's life would probably have been saved if bar staff had phoned for an ambulance either as soon as he was found or soon after he had been put outside.

The inquiry continues.