Road accident caused mother-of-eight's death

A mother-of-eight died from head injuries three-weeks after she was run over as she walked across a pedestrian crossing in Spain, an inquest heard today.

Mary Byrne, aged 70, from Drummartin Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14, died from a haemorrhage to the brain after she was hit by a car on September 14, 2004 – just two days after she arrived in Salut on holidays.

Her husband, Robert Byrne, said: “My wife was in great form, very good health, the reason she is dead is a Spaniard who was intoxicated drove through lights and killed her.”

The coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, said the inquest could not attribute blame over the death and it was up to the Spanish authorities to consider the incident.

“I am aware the family have very strong feelings on the matter,” he said.

The family’s solicitor, Kieran Doran, said they believed a police report had been submitted to the prosecuting authorities in Spain over the alleged drink-driving incident.

Mr Byrne told the inquest that as he crossed the road in front of his wife at a pedestrian crossing on September 14, 2004 she was hit by a vehicle that went through the lights.

“She was thrown about 20ft up the road,” he said.

Mr Byrne said there was blood on Mrs Byrne’s face and he noticed the windscreen of a car was broken.

Her husband said he was concerned about her head, due to the heavy bruising behind her right ear and both eyes and extensive bruising to her body and legs. The court heard she was kept in an accident and emergency ward overnight.

Mr Byrne said he had problems understanding matters in the Spanish hospital due to language difficulties.

Mr Doran said Mrs Byrne had not received an MRI brain scan to check for injuries in the Spanish hospital due to the pacemaker fitted in her chest.

Mr Byrne said he made a court appearance to assist Spanish authorities before they travelled back to Ireland.

He said that his wife collapsed suddenly and took a “spasm” on October 4, 2004 at their home in Dublin just after he brought her back from visiting her doctor.

Mr Byrne called an ambulance which rushed her to the Accident and Emergency Department at St Vincent’s Hospital, Elm Park, in Dublin 4 where she died later that day.

The pathologist found that Mrs Byrne died from a brain haemorrhage due to cerebral trauma, and also noted that she had extensive bruising from the thigh to the ankle on both legs, and rib fractures.

Dr John Erwin, from Blackrock Clinic in Dublin, who had treated Mrs Byrne in the past for heart problems, said she had a minor degree of coronary arterial disease.

In a statement to the court, he said it was extremely unlikely that her cardiac problems had anything to do with her death.

The coroner said: “There is no question that the injuries were directly related to the incident.”

The jury passed a verdict of accidental death as a direct result of a road traffic accident.