A DUNMANWAY driver who veered off track at a forestry rally was submerged under water for a period of five to six minutes and had a 'very poor prognosis' upon his transfer to hospital, an inquest has heard.
By Olivia Kelleher
Eoin McCarthy (22) died after the car in which he was driving slid in to the water at the Killarney Forestry Rally in Co Kerry amid heavy wind and rain on February 20th, 2022.
ADVERTISEMENT
Eoin was driving in his second ever rally alongside navigator Daniel O’Brien when their car veered off a bridge and ended up upside down on its roof in a stream.
Dr Fiona Kelly was the chief medical officer on duty at the rally in Castleisland. She told the Coroner’s Court in Cork that CPR was carried out at the riverbank when he was taken from the car.
She said that in spite of use of defibrillator and extensive CPR at the scene she felt on the day that his condition was 'incompatible with life'. She said that he had been submerged in water without oxygen for a period of five to six minutes.
The inquest heard that the expectation was that Mr McCarthy would be transferred to hospital by helicopter from a nearby GAA pitch. He was taken by ambulance to the pitch but the helicopter subsequently landed at a different location.
Dr Kelly said that the second location was 'difficult' to get to in the ambulance. However, ultimately she said that the timing of the transfer and any delays in relation to same wouldn’t have had any impact on the eventual outcome in the case.
She offered her sympathy to the McCarthy family following their loss and told them that Eoin would have not suffered in any way. 'He wouldn’t have been aware of anything that was happening. There was no pain.'
Meanwhile, the vice president of Motorsport Ireland, John Naylor, said in evidence that he had no concerns about the weather on the day of the accident. Witnesses had reported that the forest rally occurred amid heavy wind and a downpour of rain.
Mr Naylor said that a forest rally was a 'challenge between the driver and the machine and the elements' and that rain was a normal feature of such an event. He said that the conditions on the day did not in any way justify the cancellation of the rally.
He stated that tracking was in its infancy five years ago. He said that tracking 'has gone to a whole different level' in the last 12 months alone.
Barrister for the McCarthy family, Derek Ryan, asked Mr Naylor if he remembered moving a silage bale at the scene of the accident which was presumably hit earlier that day. He replied that he couldn’t recall moving a bale.
In the course of the inquest Mr Ryan said there was no follow up or assistance given to the loved ones of the deceased from Motorsport Ireland in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Clerk of the Course Dermot Healy apologised to the family when this was put to him at the inquest. He said that he 'wasn’t perfect' but stressed that he had made contact with the family. Mr Healy said that the buck stopped with him and that he had a lot going on at the time.
Mr Healy said that a lot of people were impacted by what had occurred on the day of the rally. He advised them to contact ABATE counselling via Motorsport Ireland for support.
Evidence was also given by advanced paramedic Padraig McGlynn who tended to Eoin at the scene. He said that the young man was 'successfully shocked' following the accident.
Mr McGlynn said that Eoin was breathing on his own again when he was being transferred to the helicopter for medical evacuation.
He added that the 22-year-old was a ‘fit young man' whom he felt had been given the best chance of survival following the work of the medical team at the scene. The inquest is expected to conclude later today.
