I heard screams... then silence
Survivor tells of horror after pals drowned in 4x4 river plunge
A MAN who survived a Christmas Day drowning horror has told of his terror.
Tom Mcgreal, 20, managed to escape from the 4x4 after it plunged into Co Mayo’s Carrowniskey River.
His pals Declan Davitt, 26, and 27-year-old Martin Needham died in the tragedy.
Mr Mcgreal told an inquest yesterday: “I could hear screaming coming from the jeep. Then complete silence.”
A MAN has recalled the terrifying moment he freed himself from a sinking car where his two friends were killed.
Tom Mcgreal, 20, survived the tragedy on the Carrowniskey River, near Louisburgh, Co Mayo, in the early hours of Christmas Day.
Declan Davitt, 26, and 27-year-old Martin Needham died when the Ford Ranger vehicle was swept away when they tried to cross a swollen river.
Their bodies were found by search teams more than 12 hours after the car entered the water.
Giving evidence at an inquest in Castlebar, Co Mayo, yesterday, Mr Mcgreal told how he pulled himself through the back window of the car which was owned and driven by Mr Davitt.
He said: “The jeep was starting to fill with water. I knew I had to get out. I got out a window. I don’t know was it down or did I break it?
“I remember the lads were laughing and thinking it was a great laugh.
“The lads were starting to panic when more water began to fill the jeep. I thought I had to get out now.
“I had to pull myself out of the jeep to get out of it. I got out of the jeep and swam over to the bank.
“I could hear screaming coming from the jeep which lasted only a few seconds. Then complete silence.
“I then went to try and get back into the water but it was too strong.”
In his statement Mr Mcgreal said he crossed fields to the main road before getting to the Gibbons home at around 2.25am where family members raised the alarm.
A jury returned a verdict of accidental deaths at the inquests yesterday.
At the hearing, Coroner Patrick O’connor was told the Carrowniskey is regularly crossed by larger, Suvtype vehicles.
However, last Christmas the waterway was a raging torrent following weeks of incessant rain.
It was also revealed the front passenger window of the stricken SUV wasn’t operational as the teeth on the regulator that operates the window was worn.
Coroner O’connor and the jury were told the three men had called to the Gibbons home at Roonith, Carrowniskey, earlier and were advised by them not to drive as they had too much to drink.
In a statement, which was read to the inquest, Mary Gibbons said the three had vodka with them and were drunk when they arrived at the house.
She added: “No one had an idea they were coming. I told the lads they were more than welcome to call anytime but not in the state they were in as they had started to get messy.”
The pals, along with others, had met for Christmas drinks in the nearby town of Louisburgh.
After leaving the Gibbons’ house, Mr Davitt drove towards the Carrowniskey River picking up speed before it reached the water.
In his statement to gardai, Mr Mcgreal explained: “Declan then went to drive into the river which was high and in full flow.
“When he went into the river he tried to reverse and the vehicle began to skid. He then got the jeep out of the water and went for it again. The front part of the jeep went face down.”
After the alarm was raised, a fullscale emergency operation involving gardai, Coast Guard, the Order of Malta, a Rescue 118 helicopter from Sligo and locals got under way.
At around 4am the vehicle’s radio antenna was spotted in the river about 400 metres from where it entered the water.
There were no casualties in the vehicle when checked by garda divers.
Around 12 hours later, the bodies of Mr Davitt and Mr Needham were discovered at a spot near the estuary of the Carrowniskey River.
They were winched from the water by a search and rescue helicopter. Sergeant Gabriel Mcloughlin carried out a detailed examination of the vehicle. He said the vehicle appeared to be in a roadworthy condition prior to the incident.
Consultant pathologist Dr Fadel Bennani said the causes of death was asphyxia due to drowning.
Blood alcohol level recorded in both men was “high”.
In Mr Davitt’s case, it was 260mgs% while in the case of his front seat passenger Martin Needham it was 334mgs%, “very high”.