This article is from page 18 of the 2009-10-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
A RETIRED farmer lost his life after he was struck while crossing the road on his walking stick and then carried along on the windscreen of a car.
The tragedy occurred in the vil- lage of Ogonelloe, when John Coon- ey (89) was on his way home from Mass, an inquest into his death heard last week.
Ennis Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Cooney, a bachelor, died instant- ly, having sustained serious injuries when he was struck by a car, on Sat- urday, September 8, 2007.
John Lynch from Tuamgraney re- called how he had gone to 8pm Mass in Ogonelloe that evening. After Mass, he chatted to another man in the vicinity of the church. He was facing the road, when suddenly he heard “a screech of brakes, followed by a loud bang”.
He said he saw a dark coloured car and noticed that a person was being carried across the windscreen. “As the car veered to the right, the person flew off the car to the left. The car continued to come straight at us,” he Sr HLeB
Mr Lynch said that he feared for his own Safety, as the car approached him. “As the car came to us, I grabbed Tom McKenna and tried to pull him back a step to avoid the car,” he said.
‘‘T remember that he let off a roar as we both thought that we were going to be killed,” he said.
The driver increased the speed and drove off without stopping, he re- called. He said he felt the driver of the car would not have had any vision until the body fell off the car.
Mr Lynch said that the window on the driver’s door of the car was down and he saw “a young fella in his 20s with dark brown hair”. He could not see if there was anybody else in the ore
“While the body was on the wind- screen, I saw him (driver) looking out a small hole in the windscreen overhead,” he said.
As the car sped away, Mr Lynch ran to the body. He could see that it was John Cooney, a retired farmer who lived just 700 yards from the church. Mr Lynch and another man moved the body to the side of the road for SH IKAA
Garda Tim Sullivan from Killaloe was involved in the investigation into the accident. He said that he arrived at the scene at around 9pm. It was dark at the time and road conditions were good and dry. Several people were standing outside the wall of Ogonelloe church, having attended evening Mass. He said that a bro- ken walking stick — belonging to Mr Cooney — was found on the road.
Sergeant Deborah Marsh told the inquest she was informed that night that a car was found burnt out in Ca- herhurley. She went there and saw that a car was smouldering. The car, a Mazda 323, was identified from its TESS we leuse leo
She said that by 1lam the following day, three men had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Sgt Marsh told the inquest that the car had skidded for 22.7 metres, hav- ing impacted with the pedestrian. She said that the car had travelled at speeds between 74.9 kph and 88.6 kph, in a 60 kph speed limit. She said that the driver was later convicted of dangerous driving causing death, while the passenger was convicted of perverting the course of justice. Both were handed custodial sentences in the circuit court.
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis, who carried out the post mortem examination on Mr Cooney’s body, said that he had sus- tained several fractures, including to the spine, skull, rib and elbow.
Mr Cooney, he said, had suffered ‘severe catastrophic injuries, as a re- sult of being run over by a car.” The cause of death, he concluded, was multiple injuries, consistent with be- ing struck by a car.
The jury recorded a verdict in ac- cordance with the medical evidence.
Coroner Isobel O’Dea extended sympathy with the family and friends of the late Mr Cooney and compli- mented gardai on the speed at which they apprehended those who were travelling in the car. Inspector Tom Kennedy echoed her sentiments and said the late Mr Cooney was “in no
way to be faulted as to the circum- stances of the accident.”