No chance to avoid collision in which George died
GEORGE Bridges and his wife Patricia ‘ had no chance to react’ to an approaching vehicle, an inquest has heard.
Mr Bridges died on December 14, 2014, aged 93, following a three-vehicle road traffic collision at Curteenminogue Lr., Murrintown.
In a deposition, Garda Eoin Maher of New Ross Garda Station said that he was on duty when he was called to the scene of an accident. He said that there was very little natural light when he arrived.
On arrival, he said he met Rosarii Doyle, who told him that she was the driver of a Volvo. He said that she was in shock but had no injuries and declined the offer of an ambulance. Garda Maher said that he conducted a breath test on Ms Doyle, which she passed.
He said that he then met Patricia Bridges, who he learned was the driver of the Toyota Yaris. He said that she was in some degree of pain and being attended by a person unknown to him. He gave her a breath test which she passed. He met the third driver Caroline Creane from Piercestown, who also passed a breath test.
Garda Maher saw Mr Bridges in the passenger seat and said he seemed to be in pain. An ambulance soon arrived and he was taken to hospital. He was pronounced dead at 10 p.m. at Wexford General Hospital.
The inquest heard that Rosarii Doyle was arrested on January 1 charged with dangerous driving causing death. She later appeared before the court and was convicted of careless driving causing death, resulting in a €2,000 fine.
A deposition by Joe Bridges said that he was informed his father had passed away at Wexford General Hospital on December 14. He later identified the body.
A deposition by Mr Bridge’s wife Patricia was read by Superintendent James Doyle.
She said she was driving home from Ballycross Apple Farm accompanied by her husband when they saw a car coming towards them on the wrong side of the road. She tried to avoid the vehicle but was unable to. The vehicles collided and the airbags went off. She said she struggled to get out of her car.
A deposition by Caroline Creane of Piercestown said that she had been driving with her daughter behind a Toyota Yaris towards Murrintown on the day of the accident. She said that both cars were driving very slowly and that as they approached a bend, she saw a big car come around the corner at speed. She jammed on the brakes. The next thing she recalled was seeing the boot of the Yaris in the middle of the road.
Mrs Creane’s daughter Rachel went to the Yaris and told her mother to contact the ambulance and Gardai. In her deposition, Mrs Creane recalled seeing an elderly man in distress. She said it seemed like an age before the ambulance arrived. She concluded by saying that the couple had no chance to react as the people in the other car were on the wrong side of the road and driving at speed.
Rachel Creane said in her deposition that she went to the driver side of one of the cars following the accident and opened the door to find an elderly woman. She saw an elderly man in the passenger seat and tried to talk to him.
Pathologist Dr Fergus McSweeney said that following an autopsy on December 15, it was found that George Bridges had a number of external bruises. It was determined that he died as the result of a haemorrhage due to severe trauma to the chest and abdomen as the result of a road traffic accident.
A verdict of accidental death causing multiple injuries as a result of a road traffic collision was recommended by Dr Sean Nixon.
He passed on his sympathies with the Bridges family, as did members of the jury and An Garda Siochana.