Family's heartfelt message at Mayo inquest into deaths of mother and daughters

Relatives of a mother and two young daughters who died in a horrific road accident on the N17 near Claremorris in March 2024 have assured the driver of the second vehicle involved that they do not hold him responsible for the tragedy.

A heartfelt message from Catriona Carlin, sister of deceased Una Bowden (47) and aunt of Ciara (14) and Saoirse (10) was read on her behalf by Garda Mary Gallagher, Family Liaison Officer, at an inquest in Ballina Courthouse into the heartbreaking tragedy.

The message partly read: “To the driver of the truck involved, we do not hold you in any way responsible for what happened. We hope you will find peace after this terrible experience."

Emergency services who attended the scene were thanked by Ms Carlin as well as staff at Mayo University Hospital “for the care and dignity they showed to Una, Ciara and Saoirse”.

“You are in our thoughts”, the message continued. “We think of you often especially when we see blue lights at other crises”.

Mayo coroner Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald presided at resumed inquests last Thursday into the deaths of the Bowdens who lived near Moycullen, Co Galway.

Mrs Bowden and her children were travelling in a Volkwagen Tiguan car, which had a trailer attached, from Knock towards Claremorris, when the vehicle veered across the road and into the path of an oncoming oil delivery lorry.

Sergeant Noel Crinnegan said that an extensive garda investigation had been conducted and the Director of Public Prosecutions had rule there should be no criminal charges arising from the crash.

Graphic descriptions of the fatal collision were given by a number of witnesses including the driver of the lorry, Patrick Gormally, from Ballyshannon in Co Donegal.

Mr Gormally, in a statement to gardaí which was read into evidence, outlined he had just passed Ballindine when he saw a silver car on his side of the road, right under his cab.

“I heard a huge bang and everything went crazy after that. There was no way I could have avoided the collision.

“The car came into my lane from the other side of the road."

Motorist Eddie Grant, in a statement to gardaí which was read into evidence, said he had been travelling from Letterkenny and witnessed the car “veering from my lane straight into the lorry”.

Mr Grant said he knew afterwards that all three occupants of the vehicle were deceased. He said the lorry driver wanted to check the car but he told him not to.

A further eyewitness, Aisling Dunne, said she heard “an unmerciful bang like a bomb went off” and a wheel from the vehicle came flying in her direction.

Technical evidence was given to the inquest that the speed of the Tiguan car was 94 kmph five seconds before the collision and 91 kmph at the time of the impact.

Consultant pathologist Tamas Nemeth testified that the cause of death of all three victims was extensive head and body injuries due to a road traffic accident.

After hearing the evidence, the coroner said a clear description of what happened had been provided but not why the collision occurred.

She noted there was good visibility at the time and the accident occurred on a straight stretch of road.

Dr Fitzgerald noted the presence of two family terriers in the crash car and suggested they may have contributed to the accident but added that such a theory could not be proven.

The coroner said the evidence showed the car driven by Mrs Bowden, with a trailer in tow, had crossed in error to the wrong side of the road and into the path of the oncoming lorry.

Both drivers, in the final seconds, had taken actions to avoid a collision but it was too late.

The combined speed of both vehicles would have been over 160 kmph, the coroner said.

The injuries suffered were horrific and would not have been compatible with any form of resuscitation, the coroner stated.

She returned verdicts of accidental death in all three cases.

Una Bowden’s husband, David, the father of Ciara and Saoirse, joined the inquest via videolink.

He thanked the coroner for the inquest which, he said, brought some closure. He also thanked the gardaí and emergency services who helped at the scene as well as the Irish diplomatic services and the organisers of the Catholic Church Mass and burial ceremonies in Raphoe, Co Donegal.

Una Bowden was a native of Raphoe but had been living in recent years with her family in Moycullen. Previously she lived with her husband in Zambia where they jointly started a safari camp.

• Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme.