Man (85) died of head injuries following crash

A jury has recommended that quad drivers should be forced to wear crash helmets, following the death an 85-year-old man in Doocastle.

The recommendation came as the inquest into the death of Nicholas Murtagh found that he died of blunt force head trauma after the quad he was driving collided with a car in June 2017.

Mr. Murtagh died two weeks later in the North West Hospice.

A file was forwarded to the DPP at the time and no charges were brought in relation to the incident.

The collision occurred at the crossroads between Doocastle, Ballymote, and the Sligo/Charlestown Road, about 12.5km north of Charlestown.

The inquest heard that conditions on that day were sunny and dry.

The driver of the other vehicle, Martin Coffey, told the inquest that he approached the crossroads and saw a man shooting out in front of him. He said he swerved to try and avoid the man on the quad but ‘ he kept coming’.

“I feel I could not have done anything else to avoid the accident,” Mr. Coffey told the court.

The court heard that Mr. Coffey was driving at 80km/h, the speed limit on that stretch of road, which he said was ‘not good’.

A witness who came upon the scene said she noticed that the verges on the junction were overgrown.

Eleanor O’Connor said there was overgrowth of grass on that particular junction where Mr. Murtagh would have been coming on to the main road.

“He was always very careful,” she added.

“I was very surprised when I realised it was him in the accident because he was always a very careful driver. He always wore his hi-vis jacket and all.”

She added that the junction in question is very dangerous.

The man driving behind Mr. Coffey at the time of the accident said he saw the quad drive straight out in front of the car, and despite Mr. Coffey’s best efforts to avoid him, he was unable to do so.

“The driver was very shook up. He called 999 and I tried talking to the man on the ground but couldn’t get a re- sponse.

“The hedge was very high, the driver of the Vectra in front of me tried to swerve but there was nothing anyone could do,” added Kevin Brennan.

Gardai confirmed that Mr. Coffey provided a specimen of breath after the accident and the result was negative.

They added the hedges were very overgrown at that junction and that Mr. Murtagh’s view would have been diminished by the overgrowth.

Coroner Eamon McGowan extended his sympathies to the family: “It’s a sad time for the family and for Nicholas who, at 85, was entitled to a few more years.

“I’d recommend a verdict of death by accident and that Nicholas Murtagh died of blunt force head trauma.”

The jury of six men and one woman delivered a unanimous verdict of death by blunt force head trauma.

The jury also recommended that maintenance and trimming of the hedges in question be undertaken by the relevant authorities.

The Murtagh family welcomed the recommendations.