GSOC probe into fatal car crash under way

The Garda Ombudsman is expected to raise concerns with Noirín O’Sullivan, the interim Garda commissioner regarding the handling by officers of a fatal car crash.

This follows claims that it took gardaí five-and-a-half hours to inform the watchdog about an incident in which a female passenger died in a car accident.

A Garda car was following the vehicle at the time, although it may have been some distance behind it.

Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, gardaí are obliged to refer any matter which appears to indicate that the conduct of a member may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, another person.

Since the legislation was enacted, this has included fatal car accidents in which a Garda vehicle may have been involved.

While the law does not specify what “involved” means, it has been considered to include incidents where Garda cars were not pursuing a vehicle as such and may have been some distance behind.

In an incident just before 2am on Thursday, a 43-year-old female passenger of a car received fatal injuries after the vehicle she was travelling in lost control in Fairview, north Dublin, and crashed into a tree and lamp post.

The 26-year-old male driver was critically injured, while another passenger, a 20-year-old male, is in a stable condition.

The circumstances leading up to the crash are unclear. It is thought a Garda car manoeuvred to follow the vehicle and that it later came across the accident.

The Garda Press Office issued a statement at 7.30am on Thursday stating that gardaí in Clontarf were investigating the single vehicle accident and that a forensic collision examination was under way. It did not make any reference to GSOC.

It was reported yesterday that a garda did contact a GSOC officer at 5am, but that the member allegedly said that the incident did not require a referral under the act and that the call was a matter of courtesy. It was further reported that the same GSOC officer was contacted again at 7.30am and that a formal referral was made.

By this time, the Garda investigation had removed the car from the scene. It is understood GSOC investigators were unhappy that all the evidence of the crash had been removed by the time they arrived at 9am.

A GSOC investigation is under way to determine the events leading up the crash and gardaí who were in the patrol car and those who had any dealings with the crash will be interviewed.

Neither the ombudsman nor gardaí would comment.