‘I filmed a cyclist miss the same bend where Janet died in Co. Kerry’
Garda to tell inquest of his Gap of Dunloe investigations
‘I recorded the bend’
A GARDA investigating the death of an American cyclist in the Gap of Dunloe filmed another cyclist miscalculate the same bend an inquest will hear today, the Irish Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
Janet Price, who was in her 60s, was killed on the Gap of Dunloe in May last year after she collided with a Toyota truck and trailer on a very tight corner.
Ms Price died just yards from where tourists Normand Larose and Rosyln Joy were killed in a shocking pony-and-trap crash in April.
And in a forensic report seen by the Mail, Garda Raymond Sweeney details personally witnessing another cyclist narrowly avoiding a crash while he was investigating Ms Price’s cycling tragedy. He says there were no warning signs on the downhill approach to the bend.
During his investigation, Garda Sweeney filmed the other cyclist skid to the wrong side of the road by under braking, the inquest will hear today. ‘On the 1st of June 2017, I returned to the scene of the collision to carry out further examinations. While there, I made a video recording of the approach from the north, the Toyota’s direction of travel. By chance this happened to capture the descent of a cyclist downhill towards the bend.
‘It showed the cyclist miscalculate the bend. It showed as he crossed to the other side of the road under braking, failing to take the bend. I also recorded the approach towards the bend from the south, the cyclist’s direction on travel,’ reads the report.
The Forensic Collision report states: ‘The speed of the Toyota [vehicle] prior to the collision could not be determined, however, given the nature of the vehicle (with trailer) and the road at that point, the manoeuvre could only be attempted at dead slow speeds. The maximum speed at which a vehicle could negotiate the bend at while clearing the trailer was in range of 19.6 to 23.2kph,’ the report adds.
Following Mrs Price’s death, Kerry County Council said it would consider putting new barriers and traffic-calming measures in place in what is one of the busiest tourist sites in the country. However, this has not yet occurred. The council this week told the Mail they would not be commenting until after the outcome of the inquest. However, Mrs Price’s husband, Donald Theiler, who witnessed the accident scene seconds later, says he continues to feel let down by the Department of Transport and Kerry County Council.
‘These reports were prepared in August and October of last year and as far as I have been able to determine nothing whatsoever has been done to ensure the safety of people using this road. Within a week of the accident I sent a letter to the Department of Transport requesting a safety survey of the road and made some specific suggestions concerning what might be done,’ he said.
‘After sending that letter and making numerous inquiries concerning this request, I got a major bureaucratic stiff arm. The Department of Transport said that it was not under their jurisdiction and that Co. Kerry had to do the investigation and make any necessary improvements. Someone could have simply gone out to the road at any time and done an evaluation of the conditions on the road,’ he added.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport previously told the Mail that Kerry County Council is the ‘statutory road authority’ responsible for the public road at the Gap of Dunloe.
‘The Department did contact the council last year and this year after receiving correspondence from Mr Theiler.
Kerry County Council informed the Department that it had written directly to Mr Theiler.
County councils are expected to review speed-limit signage for ‘consistency and appropriateness’ at least every five years, according to information on the Department of Transport website.
The inquest of Janet Price will take place this morning in Killarney with members of her family in attendance.