N17 crash victim dad-of-five died after crashing into concrete post
The family of the man who was living in Galway said they were disappointed with the response of the authorities
THE family of a Longford native who died when his car 'aquaplaned' off the N17 in south Mayo during a storm have expressed disappointment with the lack of engagement from the local authorities following his death.
Francis 'Jimmy' Rowe (42), late of 161 Cloghran, Kilcloghans, Tuam, Co Galway and a native of Ballymahon, Co Longford died on January 21, 2024 when his car struck a concrete post after leaving the N17 at Lisduff, Claremorris.
The inquest into his death which took place in Ballina Courthouse heard that at the time the hard shoulder and the left lane of the N17 was submerged in water as a result of heavy rain from Storm Isha.
A garda investigation into the fatality heard that when Mr Rowe's Dacia Logan car hit the water, the tyres lost contact with the road surface and 'aquaplaned' off the road. The car hit a concrete post which resulted in Mr Rowe suffering injuries which caused his death at the scene.
Following the inquest, his sister Caroline thanked all the emergency services who attended to their brother but felt that the local authorities did not do enough to keep them informed of what happened to him.
“I feel I would be doing Jimmy and his family an injustice if I did not point out the disappointment we as a family have felt in the authorities during the two and a half years since we lost Jimmy in regards to the lack of contact or answers about the accident or indeed the inquest.
“We understand that your job is by no means easy and unfortunately there have been several accidents in the county and all over the country. But to be left for the last two and a half years with unanswered phone calls and unreturned messages and to be given two days notice for an inquest that we have been trying to get answers for is simply not good enough.
“Jimmy is more than a statistic to us, he was a loving son, father, brother, partner and uncle and friend and a very hard working man. Any family's lives unfortunately as we have learned can be turned upside down in one phone call. We hope by highlighting this, future families facing similar circumstances will receive the support and guidance that is desperately needed following the loss of a loved one,” she said.
Mr Rowe, a father of five, had been travelling from Tubbercurry to Tuam when the accident occurred close to the old railway level crossings on the N17.
There were no witnesses to the crash but the alarm was raised at around 6pm when a motorist noticed car headlights in a field and went to investigate.
In a statement by Ann Jennings of Irishtown which was read out at the inquest, she described how the conditions were very stormy and the field around the car was flooded and dark. She found a male in the car without a pulse and contacted the emergency services.
Garda Ian Coyne said he arrived at the scene at 6.15pm and observed the vehicle in the field facing in the direction of Ballindine and there was extensive damage to the driver's side of the car. He said that at the point of entry into the field there was a substantial volume of water covering the hard shoulder and half of the driver's lane.
Met Éireann issued a Status Orange wind warning on January 21, 2024 due to Storm Isha and a weather report for the day showed there were gusts of 110km per hour and rainfall of 35mm.
A forensic investigation into the crash found that the car was in perfect condition and concluded that the car aquaplaned on the water which resulted in the tyres losing traction with the road surface and pulled it off the road.
Sergeant Gabriel McLoughlin, the PSV inspector added that it would be very difficult for a driver to see the flood in the dark.
A post mortem into the death of Mr Rowe found that he suffered a fracture of the spine and died as a result of severe thoracic injuries due to a road traffic accident.
The Coroner for Mayo, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald commented that Mr Rowe had no luck on that day because after the car left the road it collided with a concrete fence which resulted in the injuries to him and death would have been instant.
“This was a freak accident with the weather conditions having a role in it. The level of water was not visible in the dark which would have completely taken him by surprise and there was nothing he could have done once the car took off. It was freakish that it was a concrete post that the car collided with as opposed to a soft ditch which may have given him some chance,” she said.
She recorded a verdict of accidental death and urged motorists to exercise extreme caution when driving in severe weather. She also commented that the public should be more aware of the dangers of a vehicle aquaplaning occurring during heavy rainfall.
She expressed sympathy to Mr Rowe's family on their tragic loss as did Sergeant Noel Crinngean on behalf of An Garda Siochána.