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.