Man was dead before being run-over by car, finds inquest

A CORONER’S inquest was told yesterday that a 73-year-old retired farmer was already dead on the road before being run-over by a car outside the north Clare town of Ennistymon last year.

At the inquest into the death of Patrick Daly of Gortnabohol, Kilshanny in Ennis yesterday, a jury heard how Kilfenora woman Orla Vaughan couldn’t avoid driving over Mr Daly’s body that was lying across the road at Knockbrack outside Ennistymon.

A post mortem carried out by Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy at Limerick’s Midwestern Hospital the following day found Mr Daly had multiple rib fractures, a fracture to his right pelvis, abrasions on both knees, while his left lung had also collapsed. The post mortem also found Mr Daly’s blood alcohol reading was two-and-a-half times the legal limit if he was driving.

In her deposition, Ms Vaughan said she was driving home to Kilfenora after playing squash in Ennistymon at 8.30pm on Friday February 13 and was driving on the Lisdoonvarna road. Ms Vaughan said a car coming towards her flashed her and she thought that there must be cattle on the road ahead. At this time, she was driving at 30mph and shortly after could not avoid driving her car over something that was on the road as there was another car coming towards her.

The inquest was told Mr Vaughan got out of her car and contacted the emergency services to tell them what happened and they soon arrived on the scene.

According to pathologist, Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy, a post mortem found that Mr Daly’s death was due to acute cardiac failure.

Under questioning from County Coroner Isobel O’Dea, Dr Mulcahy said that the most likely cause of death was Mr Daly suffering a fatal heart attack while walking on the road where he collapsed and died.

Dr Mulcahy told Ms O’Dea it was most likely that Mr Daly was dead on the road before the car made contact. Arising from the evidence, a jury of three men and three women returned a verdict of Mr Daly dying from natural causes.