TRAGIC CRASH DAD ‘WAS DOING 155KMH’
Inquest told how biker, 36, lost leg & died instantly
A MAN was travelling at an estimated speed of “at least 155km per hour” moments before he came off his motorbike in a horror crash.
The coroner’s court in Kilrush, Co Clare, heard about the final moments of James Murphy, 36, who lost his life on the N18 Clonmoney West, Bunratty.
The inquest heard the married father, who was from Miltown Malbay, lost his right leg below the knee and died instantaneously on March 14, 2022.
Eyewitness Emma Hourigan was driving in the slow lane and heard the speed at which the motorbike was “bombing” it in the fast lane behind her. She said: “I got such a fright I said, ‘Oh Jesus’ out loud to the others in the car.”
Ms Hourigan said as Mr Murphy’s bike went past her in the fast lane, a blue car in front of her started to veer over into the fast lane to overtake.
Ms Hourigan stated the blue car was less than half way over the lane “when the bike braked hard and it had to because of the speed it was doing”.
Ms Hourigan said the motorbike had made a slight impact on the boot area of the blue car and the biker went off to the left and the motorcyclist “was catapulted up into the air”. She said the motorcyclist “took a severe wallop off the ground and he hit into the barrier”.
Ms Hourigan said the bike “went on fire and there was debris everywhere”.
She said there were no cars in the fast lane before impact. The driver of the blue Skoda, student Aimee Curran said she had been in the fast lane for three to four minutes before.
Ms Curran agreed with counsel for the Murphy family, Lorcan Connolly BL, that she didn’t recall veering out of the slow lane to the fast lane before impact.
Mr Connolly said Ms Curran’s passengers also recalled being in the fast lane for minutes. The crash occurred around 4pm and off-duty medical professional Barbara Slevin performed CPR on Mr Murphy after being told he had a slight pulse.
Mr Murphy was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.24pm. The inquest was told there was no drugs or alcohol in Mr Murphy or Ms Curran.
A Garda Forensic Collision Report estimated the speed of Mr Murphy’s motorcycle “at the start of the locked wheel was not less than 155km per hour”.
A postmortem found he died from severe and traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries.
Coroner Isobel O’dea found the cause of death was in accordance with the medical evidence with injuries consistent with a road traffic accident.
[Deceased] took a severe wallop off the ground EMMA HOURIGAN TELLS INQUEST ABOUT CRASH