A mother and her two young daughters suffered “catastrophic” injuries and died instantly when their car collided with an oil tanker on the N17 near Claremorris, Co Mayo, in March 2024, an inquest has heard.
Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, coroner for the District of Mayo, presided at resumed inquests in Ballina into the deaths of 47-year-old Una Bowden and her daughters Saoirse, aged 10, and 14-year-old Ciara.
The Bowdens, who lived near Maigh Cuilinn, Co Galway, 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, told today’s hearing that an extensive garda investigation had been carried out into the tragedy and the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed there should be no prosecution in the matter.
‘The car came into my lane from the other side of the road’
Graphic descriptions of the fatal collision were given to the inquest by a number of witnesses including Patrick Gormally who was the driver of the lorry, based in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
Mr Gormally, in a statement to gardaí 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.”
Car veered ‘from my lane straight into the lorry’
Motorist Eddie Grant, in a statement to gardaí 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.
Another 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 94km/ph five seconds before the collision and 91km/ph at the time of the impact.
Consultant pathologist Tamas Nemth 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 crashed 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 Ms 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 160km/ph, 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 gardaí 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.
Una Bowden was a native of Raphoe but had been living in recent years with her family in Maigh Cuilinn.
Previously she lived with her husband in Zambia where they jointly started a safari camp.
At the conclusion of today’s hearing Sgt Mary Gallagher read a message from Una Bowden’s sister, Catriona Carolyn, in which she thanked emergency services who attended the accident and the staff at Mayo University Hospital.
In the message the family assured the driver of the truck the family did not hold him responsible for what happened.
“We hope you will find peace after this terrible experience,” the message concluded.