July 19, 2009
A 22-year-old exchange student from Ireland died Saturday, two days after jumping off a pier at North Avenue Beach while intoxicated, authorities said.
Keith O’Reilly, of Dublin, Ireland, was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 6:22 p.m., according to a Cook County Medical Examiner’s office spokesman.
An autopsy Sunday found O'Reilly died of anoxic encephalopathy — or brain damage — and cervical spinal injuries from a dive in shallow water. Alcohol intoxication was also listed as a cause of death, which was classified as an accident, the medical examiner's office said.
O'Reilly apparently dove into shallow water off a pier at North Avenue Beach about 4:10 a.m. Thursday, police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said.
A woman, who police described as a "colleague," jumped into the water to pull him out. The woman called 911 and emergency crews initially took the man to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Mirabelli said.
Authorities said O'Reilly, an exchange student, jumped off the pier while intoxicated and fractured his neck.
Chicago Sun Times
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