Woman left fatally injured as partner fled crash scene
Coroner Pat O'Connor said speed is a "significant factor" in most road traffic accidents.
A coroner has issued a warning about speeding after an inquest heard that a woman lost her life in a horrific crash in Erris almost two years ago.
An inquest at Swinford Courthouse heard that Tracey Moran, of Milltown, Glenamoy, died when the car in which she was a passenger crashed into a pillar and wall at Knocknalower, Belmullet on St Patrick’s Day, 2022. The driver, Liam Ginty, who was Tracey's long-term partner, fled the scene but later turned himself in.
Last July, 28-year-old Ginty, from Barnatra, was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Moran and for not reporting the incident as soon as possible to the Gardaí.
The crash was reported by Noreen Reilly who heard a loud bang outside her house shortly after 11pm.
Garda Eneas McNulty rushed to the scene and found Ms Moran slumped in the footwell of the passenger seat.
Gardaí and paramedics treated her at the scene until an ambulance arrived. However, despite the best efforts of first responders, Ms Moran was pronounced dead at 1.05am.
Sergeant Gabriel McLoughlin, the public service vehicle inspector in Mayo, told the inquest that the accident occurred on a narrow local road, the R313, which is governed by an 80km per hour speed limit. He said Mr Ginty's Volkswagen Jetta was travelling at 91km per hour when it collided with a wall and pillar on the incorrect side of the road.
Witness Michael O’Donnell noticed the car swerving on the road a short time before the collision. He was travelling through Barnatra when he observed a car with full lights coming directly towards him on the wrong side of the road.
“I suddenly realised that the car was moving straight towards me at a very high speed,” Mr O’Donnell said. “I swerved my van slightly to the left while hitting the brakes very hard.”
Mr O’Donnell said the driver "narrowly missed colliding" with him and only corrected his position on the road at the very last second.
Witness said he continued driving and met Gda McNulty in a patrol car several minutes later. He informed him he was almost in a crash and the officer replied that he was on his way to a single-vehicle collision.
Local woman Joanne Padden said she gave a male pedestrian a lift home on the night. He never mentioned the crash, but she noticed a cut on his hand. She later heard about the fatal accident and when she looked up photographs on social media of Ms Moran, she recognised Ginty and made a statement to Gardaí.
Coroner Patrick O'Connor said he had given the matter serious consideration and believed a verdict of accidental homicide was appropriate given the speeding aspect and the circumstances of the crash. He acknowledged it was an unusual verdict but said he believed it was the correct one, adding that speed was a key factor in the tragic death of Ms Moran.
“Speed is a significant factor in most road traffic accidents,” Mr O’Connor added.
He stressed that while enforcement is one preventative measure, education is the most important tool to improve road safety.
“People need to be educated about the dangers of driving a car and the consequences if they are not in control of it."
Mr O’Connor sympathised with Ms Moran’s family on their tragic loss while Sgt Conor Drury offered his condolences on behalf of An Garda Síochána.
