A fireman revealed how he found his dead nephew after being called to the scene of a head-on car crash which killed two young men in Fanad.
Seamus McBride, 25, and PJ Crerand, 19 (pictured right) died following a horrific collision beside Mulroy Bridge.
Both men were in separate cars traveling in opposite directions on the evening of May 24, 2010.
Volunteer fireman Neil Doherty, from Carrigart, revealed how he was called to the crash and found his nephew Seamus McBride at the scene of the carnage.
Mr Doherty was giving evidence at the inquest into the deaths of the two men at Letterkenny Coroner’s Court today.
Numerous witnesses said Mr McBride, of Glenkeo, Carrigart, was speeding in his Audi 80 car when the struck the car being driven by Damien Carr.
Such was the impact that accident investigators heard how the Audi car was crushed to only half its size and its engine was completely thrown from the car.
Locals who heard the crash rushed to the scene just before 8pm.
One witness, George Adams from Rush in north Dublin, who was holidaying in the area, was fishing on the bridge when he heard a car speeding past him.
“I actually shouted at him to slow down and the next minute I heard a pop,” he said.
Two nurses, Pearl Scott and Grace Herrity who live locally, tried to assist both men who had been badly hurt.
Seamus McBride was already dead and PJ Crerand, of Kilmacrennan Road, Milford, who had been screaming in pain, died a short time later.
Damien Carr, who was driving the VW Golf in which PJ Crerand was a passenger, told his father Pat, who also gave evidence, that he could not get out of the way of the Audi car as it was coming straight for him.
Mr Carr’s mother Mary, of Dunmore, Fanad, told the inquest she had passed the Audi moments before and noted that he would “kill someone” if he continued to drive that fast.
Garda forensics collision investigator Kevin Giles said there was no brakemarks from the Audi car and said he was satisfied it crossed onto the wrong side of the road.
Mr McBride was killed instantly while Mr Crerand died moments later at the scene.
Pathologist Dr Katriona Dillon said Seamus McBride suffered multiple injuries and death was as a result of those injuries sustained in a traffic accident.
She also revealed that tests had shown that McBride, who was due to go fishing on a boat that evening, was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Dr Dillon said PJ Crerand had also suffered multiple injuries and died as a result of injuries sustained in a road traffic accident.
The jury of three men and three women returned a verdict of accidental death as a result multiple injuries sustained in a road traffic accident in the case of Seamus McBride.
They returned the same verdict in the case of PJ Crerand.