McCarthy family reaction after Dunmanway driver’s inquest.

BY OLIVIA KELLEHER 

THE family of a Dunmanway driver who died at a forestry rally have asked Motorsport Ireland (MSI) to ‘finally learn from mistakes’ made at the event in Co Kerry four years ago.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded at the inquest of Eoin McCarthy (22), who died in February 2022 after his car veered off track and ended up on its roof in a flooded stream.

A number of key recommendations are expected to be made after the four-day inquest which heard details of confusion over air ambulance landing areas, a lack of mobile phone coverage, no clear lines of responsibility and questions over whether the event should have gone ahead in adverse weather.

Talented sportsman Eoin, who was described as a ‘beloved son and brother’,  suffered a global brain injury due to cardiac arrest after he was submerged in water in a suspended state. He was trapped underwater in the crashed car for a period of five to six minutes

His navigator and co-driver Daniel O’Brien, from Dripsey, was praised for his valiant efforts to free Eoin from the car.

After the four-day inquest concluded at Cork Coroner’s Court, Eoin’s sister Rachel McCarthy said: ‘The McCarthy family wish to express our sincere thanks to Daniel O’Brien and all the volunteer marshals and stewards for their efforts to save Eoin. We thank all the paramedics and advance paramedics, and all of the medical attendants who treated Eoin on the day.

‘We remain committed to the sport of rallying, and we hope that Motorsport Ireland finally learn from the mistakes of the past, and that they now fully implement all of the Coroner’s recommendations without further delay.’

Eoin was airlifted to Cork University Hospital (CUH) after the accident which occurred at the fourth stage of the rally amid heavy rain and wind.

The event took place two days after Storm Eunice which was the subject of a Status Red weather warning.

There was no mobile coverage at the stage of the rally at which the crash occurred which resulted in delays in communication at the scene.

The inquest heard that MSI had failed to assign a designated area in which the air ambulance should land in the event of an emergency at the rally.

The air ambulance initially went to Mountcollins in Limerick but found itself unable to land.

The landing site was then changed to Brosna, Co Kerry.

The air ambulance ultimately ended up landing in an area quite close to the accident site.

Evidence was also given that the ambulance containing navigator Daniel O’Brien landed on its side whilst a second ambulance was unable to pass the stranded vehicle.

The inquest heard that that at the time of the accident volunteers had not been trained on the protocols involved in reacting to a situation which involved the deployment of the air ambulance.

One witness who was volunteering for MSI said that when they arrived at Mountcollins with the casualty on board an ambulance they were informed that the air ambulance had landed in a different area. The change had not been communicated to them.

Barrister for the McCarthy family  Derek Ryan, BL, made a series of submissions to Coroner Philip Comyn about possible recommendations in the case.

During the course of the inquest he spoke of the concerns the family had in relation to delays in the emergency response and the lack of a pre designated air ambulance landing area.

He stated that ‘foreseeable risks’ had not been identified by MSI prior to the rally.

He said that the accident had happened amid poor weather at a bridge. There was an absence of railing on one side at the site of the accident.

He said that MSI should require that every safety plan going forward identifies fast flowing water hazards, bridges, culverts,  water courses, drops, embankments and fast flowing water hazards.

He said that MSI should have safety rails, barriers, and exclusion measures in place at areas of risk.

He also called for the introduction of a mandatory adverse weather protocol amid some confusion as to when exactly an event should be cancelled amid inclement weather.

Barrister Beibhinn Murphy, representing MSI, said that a number of the recommendations  suggested by Ryan had already been implemented following the tragedy. She also spoke of significant advances in tracking which have occurred in the years following the tragedy.

On the opening day of the inquest co-driver Daniel O’Brien described how he tried to come to Eoin’s aid after the crash.

He said he struggled as ‘the water was brown like oxtail soup… you could not see your hand in front of your face’.

He said he and Eoin had planned to take part in the rally championships with Killarney being their first event together.

On day two of the inquest Declan O’Leary, a stage commander at the rally, said that in hindsight the event should have been cancelled because of the poor weather conditions.

On day three clerk of the course Dermot Healy apologised to Eoin’s family when it was put to him that there was no follow up or assistance given to his loved ones in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The family had urged Coroner Philip Comyn to record a verdict of misadventure in the case.

The coroner described rallying as ‘an exciting and exhilarating sport’. However, he said that it involved a degree of risk.

He offered his sincere condolences to the family following their loss. He will consider the recommendations sought by the family in the coming days. He will furnish his recommendations to the relevant parties next week.

Sgt Fergus Twomey praised the McCarthy family for giving their late son a voice at the inquest.