Young mum Kelly lost life in crash
A ROAD accident in which a young mother of one lost her life was recalled at last Thursday’s sitting of Wexford Coroner’s Court.
25-year-old Kelly Roche, Radharc na Mara, Coolcotts, Wexford town, died in the car crash on the N25 at Kilmacree on the Rosslare Road on June 21, 2015.
Inspector Pat McDonald read the deposition of Marie Byrne, Vinegar Hill Villas, Enniscorthy into the record. In it she said that she was travelling with her husband on the morning in question when she saw a red Opel Corsa, ‘speeding up and slowing down in front of us. It was weaving into the right hand lane’. She said her husband had tried to overtake the car on two occasions but wasn’t able to.
Mrs Byrne said she called 999 because she was afraid the driver ‘would kill herself or someone else’. She said that the gardai told her that they had already received a number of calls about the driving.
Mrs Byrne said the Corsa veered onto the right hand side of the road and met a car travelling in the opposite direction head on.
The deposition of Brian Mooney was also read into the court. He said that he was driving his Toyota Corolla on the day of the accident, travelling towards Wexford. His wife Lucia was in the front passenger seat.
He said he had no time to take evasive action before the crash and that it was a very heavy impact. He said both he and his wife sustained serious injuries and were brought to hospital.
Mr Mooney said that the Corsa had ‘suddenly pulled out from a line of cars and collided’ with him.
Garda John Coughlan said the gardai received a number of calls about a car ‘driving all over the road’ before he received a call about a car crash.
He said that Mr Mooney had no alcohol in his system. An examination of the scene indicated that Ms Roche’s car crossed the centre line colliding with Mr Mooney’s. Garda Coughlan said the DPP had directed that no prosecution be brought against Mr. Mooney.
Pathologist Dr Fergus McSweeney said cause of death was severe trauma and haemorrhage consistent with a road traffic accident. He said that the level of alcohol in Ms Roche’s system was in the toxic range.
County coroner Dr Sean Nixon said that Ms Roche’s ‘extremely high level of alcohol would certainly have accounted for her erratic driving’ saying there was also a ‘separate issue as to where the alcohol had been obtained but that’s separate to this inquest’.
He recommended that the jury of six men return a verdict of death by misadventure. ‘ Driving with that alcohol level is taking an incredible risk with your own life and the lives of other road users,’ said the coroner. The jury agreed on the verdict. Dr Nixon extended sympathy to the Roche family on their ‘very sad and tragic loss’. He also thanked Brian Mooney and his wife Lucia for attending.
Chairman of the jury, Billy Morris, and Inspector Pat McDonald also extended sympathy to the Roche family on behalf of the jury and the gardai respectively.