Inquest adjourned of teen (17)

An inquest into the death of a teenage boy in Enniscrone has been opened and adjourned until after a court trial.

The hearing, at Sligo Coroner’s Court, was yesterday (Monday 13th August) told that mechanical engineering student Sean Egan, of Abbeyfield, Limerick, died, aged 17, after the car in which he was a passenger crashed into a wall at McNulty’s Bar, Pier Road, Enniscrone on 19 th March 2016.

Coroner Eamon McGowan was told by Sergeant Philip Maree that the youth was a passenger in a Volkswagen Caddy being driven by his friend Patrick Flynn.

The court heard that after the crash at 1.45am the passenger side of the car was wedged up against the wall. The Garda who arrived at the scene found the deceased in the passenger seat with head injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car, Patrick Flynn (20) of Farrellmacfarrell, Dromore West, has since been charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Sean Egan and is due to go on trial at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court this November.

Dr Paul Hartell carried out the postmortem examination of the victim and said he had “massive head injuries” and internal injuries which were “incompatible with life.”

“Death would have been instantaneous,” he told the teen’s grieving mother who had travelled from Limerick to Sligo for his inquest.

Inspector Paul Kilcoyne made an application to the court to adjourn the case to see what the outcome would be of the criminal prosecution at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court.

Coroner McGowan agreed to adjourn the case.

“What can I say? Sean is 17 and comes up to Sligo with a few friends and doesn’t come home again,” he told the Egan family.

Seán was the son of Dave and Helen Egan of Gortnagloss, Templeglantine and was studying mechanical engineering at LIT.