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Three young men were killed when their cars were involved in a head-on collision on a rural road in Co Donegal, just minutes after they were seen chatting to each other.
Theresa Robinson (20), Kaylem Ó Murachaidh (19) and Steven McCafferty (19) were killed in the collision in Corravady, outside of Drumkeen, on July 27, 2016.
On Friday, Coroner Dr. Denis McCauley conducted an investigation into the deaths at Letterkenny Courthouse. The court heard that the three knew each other, and this was not an exercise in blaming anyone.
The three people killed were among the four who were involved in the two-car collision that took place on a dark road. Another man, Sean Ward, was seriously injured in the accident.
His attorney, Mr. Kieran O’Gorman, told the court that his Hilltop client Stranorlar was ill and unable to attend the investigations.
Witness Hugh Sweeney told the court that he had been delivering bales of silage and encountered the collision in the town of Stranlongford.
He said he saw a man kneeling on the road and recognized him as Sean Ward, whom he knew. When he went to investigate further, he saw two cars: a maroon Toyota Avensis and a blue Peugeot 306. He said he saw a man huddled behind the wheel of a car, while another person, understood to be Ms. Robinson, was partially out of another car.
In a statement, his son Adrian Sweeney recounted how he had met the four earlier in his yard, where they were chatting. He knew that Sean Ward and Mr. Ward had told him that he was going to buy the Peugeot. Later, his father called him on the phone and told him that there was a disaster in Coravaddy.
Garda Michael Kilcoyne was the first officer on the scene and described the scene of the incident.
The area was cordoned off and the local priest, Father Eamonn Kelly, arrived to pray and read the Last Rites. A doctor from the local NowDoc service arrived and stated that three people had died, while Mr. Ward was taken to hospital.
Garda Damien Mulkearn told the court that the fronts of both cars had “massive frontal damage.”
However, the court was told that both cars were in working order before the accident when they were examined.
Garda Sgt. Hugh McCann told the court that he examined the scene, which is governed by a speed limit of 80 km / h. However, he said it was impossible to know exactly how fast both cars had traveled.
He said that the Avensis was still on the road, but that the Peugeot car had been pushed back eight meters from the road to the edge.
Legal debate
Stephen McCafferty’s attorney, Frank Dorrian, said it was impossible to determine how fast the cars were traveling and that Sergeant McCann should not make any further guesswork as this only raises suspicions.
A lengthy legal debate ensued between Dorrian, Ward’s coroner and attorney, Kieran O’Gorman.
Pathologist Dr. Katrina Dillon told the court that, in her opinion, all three people died from multiple injuries as a result of being involved in a traffic collision.
Coroner McCauley said he agreed and recorded a finding of death by accident. He sympathized with the families of the three victims, as did Garda Inspector Siobhan Mollhan on behalf of An Garda Síochána.
“These three people were having a normal day and probably had plans for the rest of their lives. Circumstances simply dictated that a terrible accident would occur, and we can only imagine the anguish families feel, ”added Dr. McCauley.
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