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Rock concert outing ends in tragedy, inquest hears

Thursday, 9 February 2012

MAN was driving at a speed beyond "his capabilities" seconds before a collision in which his friend lost his life, an expert has told an inquest.
Dr Denis Wood gave his findings at the inquest into the death of Conar McHugh, who died at the scene of an early morning collision on a country road two miles from Drumquin eight years ago.
The 17-year-old, from St Jude's Court in Lifford, was returning to Castlederg from a rock concert with friends shortly before 5am on September 7, 2003, when the car lost control, crossing to the other side of the road.
Mr McHugh was sitting behind the driver when the rear of the car collided with a concrete gatepost, before crashing into trees nearby. He was ejected from the vehicle.
Passing motorists who rushed to help the group used cigarette lighters to find two young men thrown from the vehicle into a field. The rest of the group were trapped inside the steam-enveloped car.
The inquest heard that Nicholas Walsh drove the group - which consisted of his brother, Jerome, and uncle John Collins, and their friends, Seamus Lunney, Seamus Browne and Conar McHugh - to the rock concert on September 6, 2003.
Mr Walsh told the inquest that after having one alcoholic drink he abstained for the rest of the night. Coroner Brian Sherrard referred to a medical report which revealed an alcohol reading of 126mg in Walsh's blood.
Asked if he recalled how the reading came to be, Mr Walsh said he remembered only having a single drink.
Sergeant David Sproule, who attended the accident, said a breath test was not possible as Mr Walsh's injuries required immediate medical attention. Walsh regained consciousness some days later in hospital.
Ran to scene
Richard McMenamin had gone to the same concert with his sister, Ann Teresa, and her then-boyfriend, Martin Glackin. The trio had pulled into the mouth of a farmyard lane as someone needed to go the toilet when they heard the collision. They ran to the scene and were joined by passing motorists, including a minibus driver, who shone the vehicle's lights onto the surrounding fields.
A post-mortem report revealed that Conar McHugh died instantly after he sustained a fractured neck and heart laceration.
Damien Coll, who examined the scene of the crash, said he believed the vehicle had been travelling at a speed of between 63 and 77 miles per hour when it rounded a bend on the road (which has a speed limit of 60mph), losing control.
None of the back seat drivers were wearing seatbelts, he added.
Denis Wood, who was commissioned by the McHugh family to examine the scene of the crash independently, said he believed the accident occurred because Nicholas Walsh was driving at an "excessively high speed" which was beyond "his driving capabilities".
Coroner Brian Sherrard extended his sympathy to the McHugh family, who did not attend the inquest.
He said Conor McHugh died as a result of multiple injuries sustained in the crash, and thanked passers-by for their assistance.
He said Walsh had been driving at a speed of at least 63 miles-an-hour and had "some alcohol in his blood" as he approached a bridge preceded by a series of bends.
However, he said he was "not persuaded" by the belief of John Collins that a car may have been parked on the road directly ahead of them moments before the collision.
A solicitor representing the Walsh family said Nicholas Walsh told police he was "not driving that hard" because his uncle was in the car.

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