Family pleads: Don’t classify death as accident

The family of a teacher killed by a dangerous driver who had downed six pints of beer asked a coroner not to say her death was as a result of a road accident.

Marie O’Donnell, 51, was killed instantly when a car crashed head-on into her when she was returning home from a wedding anniversary party in Co Donegal.

The driver, Damien Meehan, had drunk six pints of beer and had a row with his girlfriend before getting behind the wheel on Aug 11, 2010.

The inquest into mother- of-two Ms O’Donnell’s death yesterday heard Meehan had crossed over to the wrong side of the road and smashed into his victim’s Nissan Micra car just outside the village of Milford.

Meehan, 20, from Loughanure, was jailed for five years for dangerous driving causing the death of Ms O’Donnell, who taught at Drumfad National School, Kerrykeel.

After hearing evidence, coroner John Canon, instructed the jury to find that Ms O’Donnell’s death was as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident.

However, solicitor for the O’Donnell family, from Knockbrack, Kerrykeel, Niall Sheridan, said he would prefer if the word accident was not used because this was no accident.

“An accident gives the impression that this was an unavoidable occurrence but this was not such an event,” he said.

McGeehan had pleaded guilty at Letterkenny Circuit Court of having no insurance, no driving license, driving unaccompanied, driving dangerously and driving with two bald tyres.

The dead woman’s husband John said his wife had volunteered to take her car so he could have some drinks.

Mr O’Donnell told the court he fell asleep as they left the function at The Lagoon, Termon, and the next thing he remembers was waking up in hospital.

Simone Duggan, the former girlfriend of McGeehan, said she had tried to hide the car keys of his car but he had found them.

He had only driven about 800 yards outside the village of Milford on the Kilmacrennan Rd when the smash occurred.

Mr O’Donnell, who also suffered multiple injuries, had previously told the court that his wife was the centre of their world.

Coroner John Canon said he found in accordance with the jury that Ms O’Donnell had died as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic collision.