A driver whose car veered off track and flipped over into a flooded stream at a forestry rally in Co Kerry, was submerged under water for a period of five to six minutes and had a “very poor prognosis” upon his transfer to hospital, an inquest has heard.
Eoin McCarthy from Dunmanway, Co Cork, died during the fourth stage of the Killarney Forestry Rally at Mount Eagle near Castleisland on 20 February 2022.
The 22-year-old was driving in his second ever rally alongside navigator Daniel O’Brien when their car veered off a bridge and ended up upside down on its roof in a stream.
Dr Fiona Kelly was the chief medical officer on duty at the rally in Castleisland.
She told the Coroner’s Court in Cork that CPR was carried out on Mr McCarthy at the riverbank when he was taken from the car.
She said that in spite of the use of a defibrillator and extensive CPR at the scene, she felt on the day that his condition was “incompatible with life”.
Dr Kelly said that Mr McCarthy had been submerged in water without oxygen for a period of five to six minutes.
He was medically evacuated to Cork University Hospital (CUH) and died onsite.
The inquest heard that the expectation was that Mr McCarthy would be transferred to hospital by helicopter from a nearby GAA pitch. He was taken by ambulance to the pitch, but the helicopter subsequently landed at a different location.
Dr Kelly said that the second location was “difficult” to get to in the ambulance. However, ultimately, she said that the timing of the transfer and any delays in relation to same would not have had any impact on the eventual outcome in the case.
She offered her sympathy to the McCarthy family following their loss and told them that Eoin would have not suffered in any way.
“He wouldn’t have been aware of anything that was happening. There was no pain.”
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Motorsport Ireland, John Naylor, said in evidence that he had no concerns about the weather on the day of the fatal incident.
Witnesses had reported that the forest rally occurred amid heavy wind and a downpour of rain.
Mr Naylor said that a forest rally was a “challenge between the driver and the machine and the elements” and that rain was a normal feature of such an event. He said that the conditions on the day did not in any way justify the cancellation of the rally.
He stated that tracking was in its infancy five years ago. He said that tracking “has gone to a whole different level” in the last 12 months alone.
Barrister for the McCarthy family, Derek Ryan, asked Mr Naylor if he remembered moving a silage bale at the scene of the accident which was presumably hit earlier that day. He replied that he could not recall moving a bale.
Mr Naylor was asked if he had interviewed persons at the scene on the day of the crash or in the weeks/months afterwards.
He indicated that he had not carried out interviews. He said that he gathered statements made to other parties (such as the gardaí).
Mr Ryan put it to him that there was a document titled “Investigation” which he had written on behalf of Motorsport Ireland following the accident. Mr Naylor accepted that the word investigation inferred something different from what the document involved.
In the course of the inquest, Mr Ryan said that there was no follow up or assistance given to the loved ones of the deceased from Motorsport Ireland in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Clerk of the Course Dermot Healy apologised to the family when this was put to him at the inquest.
He said that he “wasn’t perfect” but stressed that he had made contact with the family. Mr Healy said that the buck stopped with him and that he had a lot going on at the time.
Mr Healy said that a lot of people were impacted by what had occurred on the day of the rally. He advised them to contact ABATE counselling via Motorsport Ireland for support.
Evidence was also given by advanced paramedic Padraig McGlynn who tended to Mr McCarthy at the scene. He said that the young man was “successfully shocked” following the incident.
Mr McGlynn said that Mr McCarthy was breathing on his own again when he was being transferred to the helicopter for medical evacuation.
He added that Mr McCarthy was a ‘fit young man” whom he felt had been given the best chance of survival following the work of the medical team at the scene.
The inquest is expected to conclude tomorrow.