The tragic, horrifying deaths of four people in a two-vehicle collision just outside Mullingar on the morning of 28 June last year, at Portnashangan on the N4, were recalled at an inquest at the Westmeath Coroner’s Court last Tuesday, in Mullingar.
Documented evidence showed that the car in which all four were travelling was unroadworthy, although it had passed an NCT test on 18 March, 2014.
The inquest jury heard that the four female victims, one a 10-year-old girl, all members of the Nigerian community, were returning to Longford from a prayer vigil in Dublin when their Nissan Almera car veered across the main road and struck another vehicle. All four were killed instantly.
Ms. Fanny Oraweme Akenbor, (44) Queenent Amenaghawon Olige-esezobor (42), Patience Iteire-Jeeti (38) and her daughter Jessica (10) were all killed instantly in a collision which occurred close to Lough Owel, on the N4 Dublin-Sligo road, outside of Mullingar on 28 June, 2014.
CAR NOT ROADWORTHY
Dr. Wilfred Hoover, presiding over the inquest, returned verdicts of accidental death in all four cases, having heard evidence that the Nissan Almera in which the deceased were travelling had defects and was “not serviceable.” The car was found to have a loose front bottom ball joint, a major component in the steering and suspension mechanism, he said.
The accident, which occurred at Portnashangan, resulted in the worst loss of life in a single collision in the area.
The driver of the second vehicle and the only survivor of the two-vehicle collision gave evidence to the inquest, recalling that the car in which the four victims were travelling veered over onto his side of the road.
VEERED ACROSS
Seamus Clarke said in his deposition that on the morning of the fatal collision, he was driving his jeep towards Mullingar and he saw the gold coloured Almera approach on the other side of the road, coming downhill. It veered across the road and he tried to brake. After the collision, he got out of his vehicle and the alarm was raised. Emergency services responded swiftly but all four occupants of the car had died at the scene.
A forensic collision investigation was carried out in the wake of the accident, and the findings were that it was unclear what had caused the driver of the Almera to veer across the road.
Garda Cliff Harding, who completed the forensic investigation, read his report to the inquest, concluding that the driver of the jeep would have had very little time to react. The car had crossed the road at a severe angle and collision was unavoidable.
Both vehicles were examined by a Garda PSV inspector and no defects were found in the jeep.
FAILED NCT
The report of Garda William Walsh was read into evidence, stating that the Almera in which all four victims had died was found to have a loose front ball joint. It had been fitted recently, Garda Walsh said. He deemed Ms Akenbor’s car to be in an “unroadworthy condition.”
Further evidence was recorded that the car had failed an NCT test on 21 February, 2014. It referred specifically to a worn front suspension ball joint. Garda James Grogan carried out an investigation after the accident and told the hearing that the Almera had been re-tested on 18 March and passed the NCT test.
The court heard that the four victims were returning to their homes in Longford, having attended a night prayer vigil in Dublin. The accident happened on the morning of 28 June, close to Mullingar.
A file had been prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions following the investigation and a recommendation of no prosecution was returned.
DIED INSTANTLY
The pathologist, Dr. Miriam Walsh read the findings from the postmortems on all four deceased. The driver of the Almera, Ms. Oraweme Akenbor had died as a result of transection to the spine secondary to a fracture of the spine and neck, secondary to involvement in a road traffic collision. The toxicology examination was negative.
Mrs Amenaghawon Olige-esezobor had succumbed to a combination of injuries and massive cardiac fractures in association with cerebral trauma consistent with a road traffic collision.
In the case of Mrs. Iteire-Jeeti, death was due to massive cranial cerebral trauma and finally, in the case of Mrs. Jeeti’s ten-year-old daughter, Jessica, Dr. Walsh concluded that death was as a result of massive cranial cerebral trauma.
Dr. Walsh said that all four would have died instantly.
The coroner extended his sincere condolences to the family of all four victims, while Inspector Jarlath Folan expressed sympathy on behalf of An Garda Síochána.
The jury concurred with the legal evidence and the coroner recorded his findings of accidental death in each of the tragic cases.
Speaking after the inquest, Mr. Brendan Muldowney, a solicitor representing the family of the late Fanny Oraweme Akenbor, said that “questions remain which will need to be investigated and answered.”
