Biker was killed when driver, 81, pushed car into him
A MUSICIAN and father was killed when his motorbike was struck by a car pushed into his path by an 81-year-old driver.
An inquest into the death of Arthur ‘Lenny’ Nelson heard how he had just finished working at a children’s Halloween theatre production when a car driven by Moira Edwards hit another car that then crashed into Mr Nelson.
Mrs Edwards, of Burt, Co. Donegal, previously pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the 2014 death of Mr Nelson.
She was fined €1,000 and banned from driving for four years at Falcarragh District Court.
The inquest into the death of Mr Nelson, of Cullion Road, Letterkenny, heard from several witnesses who came across the horrific crash.
The coroner’s court was told that Mrs Edwards had been visiting a neighbour on the night of the accident.
She was emerging from the woman’s farmhouse near Lisfannon, Burt, and was turning right on to the main road to drive home.
A BMW car collided with the front of Mrs Edwards’ emerging car and it went into a tailspin, hitting an oncoming motorcycle being driven by Mr Nelson, who was returning from working at the Playhouse Theatre in Derry.
The accident and emergency services arrived at the scene within minutes.
Garda Sgt Niall Cody told how he and others tried to resuscitate Mr Nelson, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. It had been raining earlier that evening on what was described as a ‘dirty night’.
Garda vehicle inspectors examined all three vehicles involved in the crash and all three were found to be in good pre-accident condition.
Fiona Doherty was one of the first people on the scene. She felt a slight pulse from Mr Nelson and said he still felt warm. A short time later she felt his pulse again but it was gone.
Mrs Moira Edwards was not in court because of ill health but was represented by her two sons, Robert and Leslie. In her statement to gardaí, she said did not remember seeing any vehicles coming from the direction of Derry and, after she looked left and right, all she remembered was hearing a bang.
The driver of the BMW, Conor Gallagher, from Derry, said he had been driving at around 90kph and was coming around a bend when a car emerged onto the road and he tried to swerve to avoid it.
The victim’s wife, Ms Máire Ní Threasaigh, had told a previous court how her life had changed utterly since her husband’s death.
She said that one of the most painful things she went through was covering the hands of Mr Nelson – who played several musical instruments – at his wake because they had been so badly disfigured from the crash.
The jury found that death was due to injuries sustained in a road traffic accident. Coroner Dr Denis McCauley said a letter had been submitted to the court by Mr Nelson’s children thanking all those who had helped their father.