Filter lane plea for N17 spot where Mayo fatality occurred
A coroner has strongly recommended the provision of a filter lane as a safety measure at the turn-off for Kiltimagh on the N17 at Cloonturk, Kilkelly, where an 84-year-old woman received injuries which later proved fatal.
Kathleen Forkan, Treenkeel, Kiltimagh, was admitted to Mayo University Hospital on September 24, 2022, after being seriously injured when a car driven by her daughter, Dympna (Murphy), was rear ended.
Mrs. Forkan, a mother of four and a grandmother of 12, died in hospital a month later from pulmonary embolism (blood clot) due to deep vein thrombosis.
An inquest into Mrs. Forkan’s death in Ballina Courthouse was told that the embolism resulted from her immobility in being continuously confined to bed while in hospital.
The inquest, which was conducted by the Coroner for the District of Mayo, Dr. Eleanor Fitzgerald, heard that the deceased had been a passenger in her daughter’s Honda Jazz car which was rear-ended at the Cloonturk junction while stationary about to turn right for Kiltimagh.
The driver of the second vehicle involved was Mohammad Alqarra (38), a native of Gaza with an address at Windsor Lodge, North Road, Drogheda.
Mr. Alqarra was given a suspended 10 months prison sentence and banned from driving for one year when he pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court last year.
In a statement to gardaí which was read into evidence at the inquest into her mother’s death, Dympna Murphy explained she had been visiting her cousin in the Ave Maria Nursing Home, Tooreen, on the day of the collision.
She said her vehicle was hit from behind.
“It was a big hit and it felt as if it was at speed. My car was spun a couple of times and we ended up on the opposite side of the road facing the other way.
“I immediately asked mum if she was okay. She was able to talk and she started shaking and the shock set in.
“I was aware that the car that had hit us was on its side and a bit up the road from us. I was aware that the driver was foreign and that he had children in his car.
“Mum stayed in hospital for about 10 days and on October 4, 2022, passed away as a result of her injuries.”
After returning a verdict of accidental death Coroner Fitzgerald noted that the N17 has a bad reputation for fatal accidents.
She suggested a filter lane at the turn-off for Kiltimagh, noting that such a fixture could save lives.
However, earlier in the hearing, Sergeant Gabriel McLoughlin, PSV inspector for Mayo, mentioned that a monument (which commemorates local volunteers killed in the War of Independence) would be a hindrance to the provision of any filter lane.
Both the coroner and Sergeant Sean McHale, garda courts presenter, thanked the members of the public and the first responders who helped at the accident scene, with the coroner stating it was comforting to know that when help is needed it is not too far away.
* Published under the Courts Reporting Scheme.