‘Lake of water’ on motorway led to crash

A coroner is to write to the National Roads Authority after an inquest heard a woman lost her life after driving through “a lake of water” on a motorway.

Frank O’Connor, a witness to a crash 6km north of Ennis that claimed the life of Galway student Vicky Courtney, aged 26, said that “that kind of water shouldn’t be on a motorway”.

As a result of yesterday’s evidence and a recommendation from the jury, Clare coroner Isobel O’Dea is to write to the National Roads Authority (NRA) stating that the country’s motorway system should not contain any pools of water.

Mr O’Connor, from Roscommon, said that Ms Courtney had to drive through “a lake of water” underneath a bridge on a motorway before losing control of her car, rolling over several times.

Mr O’Connor accepted that there was extremely heavy rain on the afternoon.

The fatal crash occurred five days before Vicky was due to celebrate her 27th birthday.

Mr O’Connor said that Ms Courtney’s car had to aqua-surf through the water at the scene of the incident at Ballyline, Crusheen, on the motorway linking Limerick to Gort, at 4pm on Nov 18 last.

Mr O’Connor said that he measured the pool of water to be 15m to 20m on the outside lane.

Ms Courtney’s car spun 360 degrees after driving through the water, throwing the woman from the car. Vicky’s mother, Pamela, was a frontseat passenger in the car and was also injured in the crash.

Ms Courtney was driving home to Athenry, Co Galway, after dropping off relatives at Shannon airport.

In her deposition yesterday, Pamela Courtney recounted how a gust of wind hit the car while driving in the fast lane.

She said: “The wind made the car swerve towards the barrier in the middle of the road and the car spun around and stopped on its side.”

Pamela Courtney was cut out of the car by emergency personnel and removed to hospital.

Mr O’Connor said that Ms Courtney’s car got a wobble after entering the pool of water. He said: “The car then spun 360 degrees and went from the outside lane to the inside lane. I was in serious danger of hitting the car. I braked and pulled to the outside lane.”

Mr O’Connor got out of his car to go back to the scene of the incident and met Pamela Courtney in the car before walking to a fence, where he came across Vicky sitting in a kneeling position with her head facing the ground.

Efforts by emergency personnel to revive Ms Courtney at the scene failed and she died at the scene from multiple trauma.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death with the recommendation that Ms O’Dea write to the NRA to ensure that the country’s motorway system contain no pools of water.