An inquest has heard how a much-loved Malin Head man died instantly in a head-on crash on the Mountain Road between Drumfries and Carndonagh more than two years ago.
Dad-of-two Jim Kenny, of Slievebane, Malin Head, was pronounced dead at the scene of a two-vehicle collision on the night of May 2, 2022.
He worked as a truck driver with HML Transport and was 42-years-old.
Coroner Dr Denis McCauley ruled the R244 road collision as accidental and said Mr Kenny died from multiple injuries, chief among them a severe head injury.
“I think it’s quite clear that the cause of death was multiple injuries as a result of a road traffic collision and the primary injury was a head injury.”
“All the evidence points to the fact that this was an accident,” he said.
The Coroner said it was “very lucky” that the crash hadn’t resulted in a triple fatality and that two people had survived.
The Buncrana Courthouse inquest heard that there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the collision, that all occupants were wearing their seatbelts and that Mr Kenny would have died almost instantaneously upon impact.
“James would have lost consciousness immediately and passed away very, very quickly,” Coroner McCauley said.
The inquest heard how the force of the impact was so huge that the engine of Mr Kenny’s Skoda Octavia was ripped clear from the vehicle and was found nearby in the bog.
The inquest also heard evidence that Mr Kenny had been using his mobile phone prior to the collision.
“James had been texting on Snapchat whilst he was driving but there was no evidence that he was texting at the time of the accident – and that’s just a fact, it’s not a judgement,” Coroner McCauley stated.
Some witnesses and members of Mr Kenny’s heartbroken family and friends were in tears through much of the harrowing evidence of his last moments.
The inquest first heard the sworn statement of witness Edward Lafferty, who was fortunate to survive the head-on crash.
Mr Lafferty had been in his house at Dun na Ri, Buncrana with his partner Eileen Doherty that night. At approximately 10.30pm they left to go to Eileen’s house in Carndonagh. Edward was driving a silver Opel Meriva with a 2008-registration.
“When we left my house we drove up Slavery and turned right at McGonagle Oil to the North Pole pub, and turned right onto the Mountain Road towards Carn.”
“It was dry and the road was dry too. I was driving within the speed limit at a speed of 75 kilometres per hour. Eileen doesn’t like that road.”
“As I was coming towards the turn-off to Cloontagh I noticed headlights coming down a big long straight on the hill. I just thought it was a car coming towards me and I passed no remarks.”
Moments later the impact suddenly occurred, as Edward further recalled.
“I drove on a small bit and I noticed the car coming towards us, crossing the two bridges. It lost control and veered across the road onto my side, coming straight for us.”
“I tried to avoid it by turning onto the other side of the road but I never got the chance. The cars hit more or less head-on. It went dark with the impact, the lights went out, the airbags deployed and the windscreen shattered.”
“I then heard voices saying to get out of the car because it was going to go on fire. I was checking on Eileen but she was far from alright. I then told the person that it wasn’t on fire, it was dust from the airbags.”
Mr Lafferty got out of the car and desperately tried to open Eileen’s door but he was unable to do so, given the damage from the impact.
He recalled how emergency services, including ambulances from Carn and Letterkenny and fire brigades from Carn and Buncrana, converged on the scene, while the Gardai arrived too.
His partner Eileen had to be freed from the car and Mr Lafferty was checked over by an ambulance man.
“Garda Terence Gallagher came to the ambulance and told me that Eileen was stable and was away to hospital in another ambulance.”
“At that point, like the flick of a switch, I felt the power go in my legs. I felt pain in my right arms, my chest and hip. I was taken to hospital and stayed there for a week.”
Mr Lafferty had suffered a number of serious injuries, including a double fracture to his sternum, fractures to several ribs and his right arm, and bruising to his hip.
The inquest heard that he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
Answering a question from the Coroner, Mr Lafferty said the other driver “lost control on the bridge” seconds before the
head-on smash.
He signed his statement before leaving the witness box.
Natasha Kelly’s evidence outlined how she had witnessed the collision and attended to the occupants of both cars involved.
“I was travelling home from the bingo at the Halfway House, Burnfoot. I was driving a black Ford S-Max. My mother Jennifer Gallagher and my brother and sister were all in the car with me.”
Natasha was driving on the Mountain Road towards Carn, behind a silver car. The time was approximately 10.40pm.
“We were just passed the second turn-off for Cloontagh when we saw headlights approaching in the opposite direction. It seemed to be travelling quickly. Suddenly the vehicle came towards us and veered across the road into the path of the silver car.”
“The cars collided head-on and the debris flew everywhere. I slammed on the brakes and I stopped behind the silver car. I don’t think the brake lights came on in the silver car; the crash was that sudden. The other car, a dark-coloured car, came to a stop down in the field.”
Ms Kelly immediately jumped out of her own car and ran to check on the status of those in the crashed cars.
“I checked the silver car. It was all steam and smoke. I banged on the door and it opened. The driver climbed out, you could tell he was very shocked. He kept telling me to help his girlfriend.”
“I shouted for mum to call an ambulance and I went to the other car. I banged on the window but there was no reply.”
“I opened the door and there was a man lying over. He was lying over to the side. I tried to get a pulse on his wrist and then his neck but I couldn’t get a pulse.”
“There was a bit of plastic on his face and when I moved it, I saw his eyes were wide open. I knew at that stage he could be dead. My sister went to come down too but I told her to get back.”
The inquest heard how an ambulance and the guards arrived on the scene quickly and Ms Kelly helped the paramedics and gardai to lift Mr Kenny from the car up onto the road to be worked on.
She said the silver car she had been driving behind was being driven normally and was not speeding.
She said the road was “pure dark” at the time and the other car just came across and hit the Opel.
Coroner McCauley commended Ms Kelly for her efforts to assist at a very difficult scene.
“Thank you very much for your work in attending to both cars. It was very difficult because when you went down to the other car, James had actually passed away.”
Garda Terence Gallagher’s testimony was then read into evidence at the inquest.
He had been driving the patrol car attached to Carndonagh Garda Station on the night of May 2, 2022, when he was accompanied by Garda Tomas McDermott.
“At 10.54pm as we were approaching Clonmany village from Carndonagh, we received a report of a serious traffic collision on the Mountain Road between Drumfries and Carndonagh.”
“We made our way to the location immediately. We were getting updates on the radio on our approach to the scene that the collision may be a fatal one.”
“We saw emergency lights at the scene as we approached the accident from the Buncrana side of the Mountain Road.”
Garda Gallagher observed one vehicle in the middle of the road, an Opel Meriva. The front of the vehicle was extensively damaged and it was facing in the direction of Buncrana.
He observed another vehicle, a 2008 black Skoda Octavia, which was off the road and in the bog.
Garda Gallagher radioed to Buncrana Station for additional guards to assist with traffic diversion on the Mountain Road.
He said there was a paramedic at the vehicle in the middle of the road and there appeared to be a person trapped in the front passenger seat.
“A male walking in the middle of the road, the driver of the Opel Meriva, informed me that the other vehicle had swerved onto his side and collided with him.”
Garda Gallagher and Garda McDermott immediately went down to the other vehicle that was off the road.
“I could see a male sitting in the driver’s seat. He appeared to be unconscious. The paramedic confirmed that she had cut the seatbelt from the driver and that he was unconscious and not breathing. The paramedic stated that the male should be brought up to the road.”
“Garda McDermott, the paramedic, a member of the public and I then lifted the male out of the vehicle and brought him up to the road.”
Garda Gallagher said he then returned to the Skoda Octavia and observed that it had considerable damage.
“There appeared to be an engine in the bog behind the vehicle. The Octavia did not have an engine in it.”
“I checked for identification of the driver but was unable to find any.”
A short time later Garda Gallagher took a breath specimen from the other driver, Edward Lafferty, which was negative.
He said he then observed that the paramedics had stopped working on the male who had been carried up onto the road.
At 11.40pm Garda Eamon Ward arrived at the scene and identified the male as James Kenny, of Slievebane, Malin Head.
Ten minutes later Dr Canallopoulos, from Nowdoc, arrived at the location and at 11.55pm he pronounced the death of James Kenny.
The inquest heard that Fr Brian Brady arrived fifteen minutes later to administer the Last Rites and that Mr Kenny’s body was eventually removed from the scene at 1.40am to go to Letterkenny University Hospital for post mortem.
Garda Eamon Ward’s deposition was then entered into the record.
He had been on duty in Moville on May 2, 2022 when he received a radio call regarding a request for a registration number check on a black Skoda Octavia.
“I knew this car was owned by Jim Kenny, Slievebane, Malin Head.”
“I travelled to the location and viewed the body in-person. I knew him to be Jim Kenny, my friend and neighbour since I was a young fella.”
“I identified Jim Kenny to Garda Terence Gallagher at 11.40pm and I repeated an Act of Contrition in his ear. I prayed for him and for his family. I then went to Carndonagh and informed his family of his death and I contacted his brother who resides in Australia.”
Meanwhile Pathologist Dr Catriona Dillon performed a post mortem examination on Mr Kenny on May 3, 2022.
She told the inquest that he had suffered multiple injuries, including an extensive fracture at the base of his skull.
“Death was due to multiple injuries, chiefly a severe head injury, consistent with involvement in a road traffic collision,” Dr Dillon said.
She revealed how toxicological analysis had shown that there were no drugs or alcohol in Mr Kenny’s body at the time of death.
The Coroner asked: “James would have lost consciousness immediately and passed away very, very quickly?”
“Yes,” Dr Dillon replied, as members of the Malin Head man’s family wept.
In his evidence, Garda PSV Inspector Damian Mulkearns said he inspected both cars, which had sustained “massive impact damage”. He said the “force of the impact was huge”.
Garda Mulkearns found that both the Skoda and the Opel were in good, serviceable pre-accident condition and that their tyres were also in good condition prior to the collision.
He said he “found no mechanical defects” on either vehicle, while all seatbelts had been worn at the time of impact.
Coroner McCauley inspected photos of the damage, with the passenger side of both cars having borne the brunt.
“The damage to the Opel is so extensive. I know there were severe injuries to Eileen but the fact that she’s still here is amazing. It’s very lucky that two people survived this,” he said.
The deposition of Garda Forensic Collision Investigator Sgt Gerard McCauley was heard next.
He described the collision scene as dark and rural. Sunset had been at 9.07pm that evening. The weather was warm and the road surface was dry.
He found that the weather was not a contributory factor.
“The surface of the road was in good condition, although undulating due to the nature of the bog. The road offered good grip and the lack of trees, shrubs, fences and buildings offered excellent sight-lines to both drivers. The road was appropriately marked with road paint and did not contribute to the collision.”
Sgt McCauley also noted that “there was recent phone activity on the mobile phone of the driver of the Skoda car”.
The inquest was told that the phone activity took the form of texting on Snapchat.
The Forensic Collision Investigator said the scene was entirely consistent with the Skoda car having crossed into the path of the Opel car. The collision occurred on the Carndonagh-bound lane of the R244 road.
He said there was no evidence of speed associated with either vehicle.
Addressing the phone activity, Coroner McCauley said analysis had shown that there was no evidence of any phone activity at the time of the collision.
“There was phone activity on his mobile phone leading up to the collision.”
“James had been texting on Snapchat whilst he was driving but there was no evidence that he was texting at the time of the accident – and that’s just a fact. It’s not a judgement,” the Coroner added.
After all the evidence was heard, Coroner McCauley ruled Mr Kenny’s death as accidental.
“I think it’s quite clear that the cause of death was multiple injuries as a result of a road traffic collision and the primary injury was a head injury.”
“This was an accident. It was two cars travelling in opposite directions. And for some reason James lost control of the car and James came onto Edward’s side of the road and there was a huge collision.”
“All the evidence points to the fact that this was an accident.”
The Coroner concluded the inquest by commending the members of the public and the emergency services, including the Gardai,
who had done their utmost at a very difficult scene.
He offered his deepest condolences to Mr Kenny’s family and friends.
“Edward and Eileen, it was very traumatic for you both. I know you sustained significant injuries but I’m amazed it just ended there, given the impact to your car,” he added.
