THE MOTHER of a 19-year-old man who died from alcohol poisoning has broken her silence to issue a stark warning to young people about the dangers of alcohol.
Liam McGlinchey, originally from Buncrana, Co. Donegal had been out celebrating passing his exam results when he was left by his ‘friends’ in a dangerously intoxicated state in New York in 2017.
The young man, of Irish descent, was living with his grandmother when he died.
The 19-year-old had passed out and was reportedly foaming from the mouth when Samuel Heroux dumped him on his grandmother’s lawn and urinated on him.
Toxicology reports from his autopsy showed that Liam’s blood alcohol level was at 0.40 per cent, a level that doctors say can cause death.
Heroux (21) and another man, Isaiah DePiazza (19), were charged with criminally negligent homicide over the incident.
Liam is survived by his mother, Helen Savastio, who lives in Buncrana.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Helen urged youngsters to take care on nights out, warning that such celebrations “can easily turn deadly”.
“A night of celebration can easily turn deadly. Whether it is as a result of a pill popped, a car accident or alcohol poisoning,” she said.
“Liam never thought a night of drinking would end his life at 19. His death was preventable.
The comments come as more than 57,000 students across Ireland are gearing up to get the kind of exam results Liam was celebrating that fateful day.
With many set to attending Leaving Cert parties at pubs and clubs across the country, her message is simple: stay safe.
“If your friend becomes legless and starts losing consciousness don’t automatically think he’s going to sleep it off. If you’re concerned, get help,” she told the Irish Mirror.
“No family or group of friends should feel the pain of losing someone far too soon.”
