Verdict of accidental homicide returned at inquest into Mayo woman's death

A coroner today returned a verdict of accidental homicide at an inquest into the death of a 25-year-old Mayo woman who lay dying as her boyfriend fled the crashed car.

The hearing into the death of Tracey Moran, an optical assistant who lived at Milltown, Glenamoy, Ballina, was conducted by the Coroner for the District of Mayo, Pat O’Connor.

Mr. O’Connor heard graphic evidence about the circumstances of the fatal injuries Ms. Moran sustained when the car driven by Liam Ginty (28), Inver, Barnatra, went out of control on St. Patrick’s Day 2017.

The court heard that Ginty’s Volkswagen Jetta car crashed into a pillar and wall at Knocknalower, Belmullet.

Gardaí and first responders found Tracey Moran slumped in the footwell of the passenger seat with no sign of her boyfriend driver who had fled the scene.

Sergeant Gabriel Moran, Garda PSV Inspector for Mayo, gave evidence that the incident occurred on a narrow road where the speed limit was 80 kph.

The true speed at the point the Jetta lost power was 91 kph, Sergeant Moran said.

He added that the incident occurred on the incorrect side of the road.

Sergeant Moran agreed when Coroner O’Connor put it to him that it would take ‘some force’ to knock down the adjoining wall.

At the conclusion of today’s hearing, the coroner said he had given serious consideration as to what verdict he should return and decided on a verdict of accidental homicide in light of the fact the impact occurred on a narrow road where the speed limit is 80 kph and the fact that the impact occurred on the incorrect side of the road.

Mr. O’Connor said it was an unusual verdict but showed the seriousness of the incident which led to the tragic loss of such a young person.

He added that speed was a significant factor in most road traffic accidents and he hoped young people would realise the consequences of driving at speed.

Earlier this year, Liam Ginty was sentenced to a total of 16 months in prison at the Circuit Criminal Court in Castlebar after pleading guilty pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to dangerous driving causing the death of his girlfriend and leaving the scene of the impact at Knocknalower, Barnatra, on March 17, 2022.