By Robbie Byrne
A leading pulmonary expert from Freshford in Co. Kilkenny has provided his medical opinion at the ongoing George Floyd murder trial.
Doctor Martin Tobin, who studied at Trinity College Dublin, was called as a witness for the prosecution to provide opinion on the cause of death.
The expert stated in court that Mr Floyd "died from a low-level of oxygen, and this caused damage to his brain... and it also caused a PEA arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop."
During the incident, which sparked mass civil rights protests around the world, police officer Derek Chauvin can be seen pinning George Floyd to the ground with his knee for a prolonged period while George Floyd pleaded with the police officer that he "couldn't breath."
Chauvin's defence team claim that Floyd died due to a mix of bad health and a drug overdose.
Irishman Dr Martin Tobin is testifying at the #DerekChauvinTrial. He studied at University College Dublin & is a pulmonology expert. He said #GeorgeFloyd died from a low level of oxygen which caused damage to his brain & caused his heart to stop. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/m4P9aSfleD
— Brian O'Donovan (@BrianOD_News) April 8, 2021
The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine says that Dr Tobin has "diverse endeavours in various fields of pulmonary and critical care medicine, including ventilation management, sleep and respiratory muscle physiology, and systemic critical illness, provide him with exceptional breadth of oversight."
He is currently working at Loyola University Medical Centre in Chicago.
