EMERGENCY and safety measures at car rallies need to be overhauled following the death of a young rally driver from Dunmanway, Cork’s coroner has said.
Coroner Philip Comyn made 16 recommendations after the recent inquest into the death of Eoin McCarthy in 2022, aged 22, ruling it accidental.
The inquest found that Eoin, from Kildee, Dunmanway, suffered ‘a cardiac arrest after submersion in water in a suspended state’.
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His Honda Civic flipped over and landed in a stream at Killarney Forest Rally in February 2022.
Eoin’s co-driver and navigator, Daniel O’Brien, tried to free him from the car, the inquest heard. The rally took place in heavy rain and wind two days after Met Éireann issued a Status Red weather warning.
Mr Comyn called for mandatory safety training on serious incidents for all volunteers and club members involved in organising rallies before Motorsport Ireland can issue a rally licence.
He also called for clearly defined roles, command structures and decision-making powers, including who can stop a rally.
In addition, a Motorsport Ireland liaison officer needs to be appointed and available psychological and financial supports highlighted to families and clubs after an incident, said the coroner.
He also urged for a safety statement to distributed to all volunteers and Motorsport Ireland officials no later than seven days in advance, and to anyone from the local club hosting the rally.
‘The Safety Statement is to specifically record all rally stage locations where there is no mobile phone coverage and the steps taken to ameliorate the situation,’ wrote the coroner.
He added: ‘Landing sites for air ambulance to be agreed in advance with this service supplier and to be included in the safety statement.’
During the inquest, it was revealed that the scene of the accident had no mobile phone reception and that no landing spot had been designated for the air ambulance.
On the day, the air ambulance first travelled to Mountcollins, Co. Limerick, but was unable to land.
The landing site was then moved to Brosna, Co. Kerry, before the helicopter eventually landed near the accident site.
The McCarthy family earlier urged that lessons need to be learnt from Eoin’s death. Motorsport Ireland was contacted for comment.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.
