Death crash driver took drink & drugs
Scene after 2016 smash in Co Waterford driving, when she heard a scream “Gary,” from the back and saw a small car in front of them.
Ms Bermingham added: “The car was completely on our side of the road, driving towards us. In a splitsecond it had crashed into us.”
She passed out and, when she came to, “I heard screaming in our car and Gary was unconscious”.
Ms Bermingham couldn’t move and saw people outside, who had been around their car, going back to their own vehicles.
She shouted: “Are you going to leave us to die?”
The fire brigade splashed water on their car. She suffered two broken legs, a fractured arm, fractured ribs and internal bleeding but has made a full recovery, as had her partner and children, she told the coroner.
Gda Robert Falvey gave evidence of arriving at the scene of the crash and seeing the Golf upside down.
The heat was getting stronger and he got a fire extinguisher to put out the flames but it had little effect.
There was a lot of damage to Citroen, and he heard a woman shouting “get my babies”.
The six occupants of the Citroen were eventually taken out of their car and brought to Cork University Hospital.
There were three bodies found inside the Volkswagen once the fire was put out.
Insp Larry Sheahan told the hearing in Dungarvan he arrived on the scene shortly after 9.45am and
Mary Bermingham was in the other car
put a major emergency plan into effect. When the fire in the Volkswagen was put out, he could see the vehicle was extensively burnt and he noted “the charred remains of three bodies” in that car.
He added: “All of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.”
The following day, DNA swabs were taken from family members of the three men in the car, and this allowed for identification to be confirmed.
Gda Ruth Finn, a forensic traffic collision investigator, examined the scene and said that, because of undulations along the stretch of road where the crash happened, if both cars were travelling at 100kph they would have had just 2.2 seconds to avoid each other as they only became visible to each other at a distance of 61 metres. She established the Volkswagen had been moving faster as it had pushed the Citroen back 16 metres after they collided.
Deputy state pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said all three men suffered multiple traumatic injuries, incompatible with life, and consistent with “a highspeed vehicular impact”.
Dixon had 221mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood as well as traces of cocaine and other drugs. Dr
He sounded off his head. He wanted me to go on the beer for the day
BARRY FOLEY
Curtis said: “Such intoxication of alcohol and drugs would seriously impair the ability to drive.” Dixon’s father Barry Foley said he got a call from his son at about 9am on the morning of the crash.
He added: “He sounded off his head. He wanted me to go on the beer for the day, and I said no.”
Witness Patrick Murray said he got a phone call at 9.31am on the morning of Sunday, December 4, from Dixon who said he had “someone with him”. He went
DUNGARVAN YESTERDAY
Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis outside and saw a Golf pulling around the corner and Eamon was in the passenger seat with another man driving. He got into the car and realised “both men were drunk”.
The jury returned verdicts of accidental death in relation to all three victims, with death being the result of multiple traumatic injuries.
Coroner Dr Eoin Maughan said anybody who drinks should never drive.
He added: “There are a lot of people out there who do use drugs and drive and they can be just as dangerous.”
Tributes were paid to the efforts of all the first responders, as well as members of the public at the scene.