Coroner calls for filter lane at N17 junction
Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald made the recommendation.
A coroner has recommended the provision of a filter lane as a safety measure at a turn-off on the N17 where an 84-year-old woman received fatal injuries in a collision.
Kathleen Forkan, Treenkeel, Kiltimagh, was admitted to Mayo University Hospital on September 24, 2022 after being seriously injured when a car driven by her daughter Dympna Murphy was rear-ended at the turnoff at Cloonturk, Kilkelly.
Mrs Forkan, a mother of four and a grandmother of twelve, died in hospital a month later from pulmonary embolism (blood clot) due to deep vein thrombosis.
An inquest into her death in Ballina Courthouse was told that the embolism resulted from her immobility in being continuously confined to bed while in hospital.
The inquest, which was conducted by coroner Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, heard that the deceased had been a passenger in her daughter’s Honda Jazz car, which was rear-ended at the Cloonturk junction while stationary and about to turn right for Kiltimagh.
The driver of the second vehicle involved was Mohammad Alqarra (38), a native of Gaza with an address at Windsor Lodge, North Road, Drogheda. He was given a suspended ten-month prison sentence and banned from driving for two years when he pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
In a statement to gardaí, read into evidence at the inquest, Dympna Murphy explained she had been visiting her cousin in the Ave Maria Nursing Home, Tooreen, on the day of the collision. She said her vehicle was hit from behind.
“It was a big hit and it felt as if it was at speed. My car was spun a couple of times and we ended up on the opposite side of the road facing the other way. I immediately asked mum if she was okay. She was able to talk and she started shaking and the shock set in.
“Mum stayed in hospital for about ten days and on October 4, 2022, passed away as a result of her injuries”.
After returning a verdict of accidental death, Dr Fitzgerald noted that the N17 has a bad reputation for fatal accidents. She suggested a filter lane at the turnoff for Kiltimagh, noting that such a fixture could save lives.
However, earlier in the hearing, Gda Sgt Gabriel McLoughlin, PSV Inspector for Mayo, mentioned that a War of Independence monument would be a hindrance to the provision of any filter lane.
Both the coroner and Gda Sgt Sean McHale thanked the members of the public and the first responders who helped at the accident scene, with Dr Fitzgerald stating that it was comforting to know that when help is needed it is not too far away.
- Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme.
