Accidental deaths verdict recorded at Mayo road crash inquest
Mother and two daughters lost their lives in tragic N17 collision
Relatives of a mother and her two young daughters who died together in a road accident on the N17 near Claremorris in March 2024 have assured the driver of the second vehicle involved they hold him in no way responsible for the tragedy.
A heartfelt message from Catriona Carlin, sister of deceased Una Bowden (47) and aunt of Ciara (14) and Saoirse (10), was read on her behalf by Garda Mary Gallagher, Family Liaison Officer, at triple inquests in Ballina.
The message partly read: “To the driver of the truck involved we do not hold you in any way responsible for what happened.
“We hope you will find peace after this terrible experience."
Emergency services who attended the scene of the horrific accident were thanked by Ms. Carlin in her message as well as staff at Mayo University Hospital “for the care and dignity they showed to Una, Ciara and Saoirse”.
“You are in our thoughts”, the message continued. “We think of you often especially when we see blue lights at other crises."
Dr. Eleanor Fitzgerald, Coroner for the District of Mayo, presided at resumed inquests in Ballina into the deaths of the Bowdens who lived near Moycullen, Co. Galway.
Mrs. Bowden and her children were travelling in a Volkwagen Tiguan car, which had a trailer attached, from Knock towards Claremorris, when the vehicle veered across the road into the path of an oncoming oil lorry.
Sergeant Noel Crinnegan, Garda Courts Presenter, said that following an extensive garda investigation the DPP had directed there should be no prosecution in the matter.
Graphic descriptions of the fatal collision were given by a number of witnesses including the driver of the lorry Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal based Patrick Gormally.
Mr. Gormally, in a statement to gardai which was read into evidence, outlined he had just passed Ballindine when he saw a silver car on his side of the road, right under his cab.
“I heard a huge bang and everything went crazy after that. There was no way I could have avoided the collision.
“The car came into my lane from the other side of the road."
Motorist Eddie Grant, in a statement to gardai which was read into evidence, said he had been travelling from Letterkenny and witnessed the car “veering from my lane straight into the lorry."
Mr. Grant said he knew afterwards that all three occupants of the vehicle were deceased.
He said the lorry driver wanted to check the car but he told him not to.
A further eyewitness, Aisling Dunne, said she heard “an unmerciful bang like a bomb went off” and a wheel from the vehicle came flying in her direction.
Technical evidence was given to the inquest that the speed of the Tiguan car was 94 kmph five seconds before the collision and 91 kmph at the time of the impact.
Consultant pathologist Tamas Nemeth testified that the cause of death of all three victims was extensive head and body injuries due to a road traffic accident.
After hearing the evidence, the coroner said a clear description of what happened had been provided but not why the collision occurred.
She noted there was good visibility at the time and the accident occurred on a straight stretch of road.
Dr. Fitzgerald noted the presence of two family terriers in the crash car and suggested they may have contributed to the accident but added that such a theory could not be proven.
The coroner said the evidence showed the car driven by Mrs. Bowden, with a trailer in tow, had crossed in error to the wrong side of the road into the path of the oncoming lorry.
Both drivers, in the final seconds, had taken actions to avoid a collision but it was too late.
The combined speed of both vehicles would have been over 160 kmph, the coroner said.
The injuries suffered were horrific and would not have been compatible with any form of resuscitation, the coroner stated.
She returned verdicts of accidental death in all three cases.
Una Bowden’s husband, David, the father of Ciara and Saoirse, joined the inquest via videolink.
He thanked the coroner for the inquest which, he said, brought some closure.
He also thanked the gardai and emergency services who helped at the scene as well as the Irish diplomatic services and the organisers of the Catholic Church Mass and burial ceremonies in Raphoe, Co. Donegal.
* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.