The death of a 52-year-old man in a road accident involving his car and a tractor near Dunboyne in July 2023 was the subject of an inquest held at Trim Courthouse. The Coroner for Co Meath Nathaniel Lacy conducted the inquest into the death of Allan Kinahan, Maynooth and late of Clane, Caragh, Co Kildare and Bartlemy Co Cork.
Garda Sergeant Alan McGowan told the inquest that at 4.50pm on 26th July 2023 he was contacted by Garda Donal Young of Dunshaughlin Garda Station to say that Garda Aisling Butler had made contact about a road accident at Moygaddy, Dunboyne involving a head-on collision between a car and a tractor. He made his way accompanied by Sergeant Barry McCann and he also informed acting district officer Inspector Valerie Gahan, Laytown Garda Station. He said he had arrived at the scene of the accident at 5.58pm. It was overcast with a light drizzle but the road was dry.
Garda from Leixlip had initially attended the scene and later handed over to Meath Gardai. The sergeant said he observed a silver car was on the incorrect side of the road on a left hand bend partially wedged in at the front of a tractor which had a grain hopper attached. The car had suffered significant frontal damage and the engine block was not visible.
He then observed the engine block of the car situated directly under the driver’s cab of the tractor. The uninjured 23-year-old tractor driver had successfully undergone alcohol and drug tests. There was also no evidence that he had been using his phone at the time of the accident. Billy Kinahan, a brother of the deceased carried out a formal identification.
Forensic collision investigator Garda John Coughlan who attended the scene of the accident told the inquest that in his conclusions he found that that Ford car had been travelling in a Southwest direction towards Maynooth while the tractor was travelling Northeast towards Dunboyne.
There was no evidence of pre-collision braking of the car but there was evidence of a braking and movement towards the nearside ditch by the tractor. “For an undetermined reason the Ford car entered the Northeasterly-bound lane and was involved in a full overlap collision with the front counterweights of the tractor”. Due to the height difference between the vehicles the tractor counterweight entered the cabin of the vehicle where it collided with the driver of the Ford car and also began to peel off the roof of the car.
A Mr Cormac McGovern, who was a witness to the accident but was not at the inquest, had given a statement to the Gardai stating that he noticed the silver car coming from Dunboyne towards Maynooth at a speed of 20-40kph in heavy rain. He said the Ford car “came round the bend and straight into the tractor”.
Professor Muna Sabah who carried out a post mortem on the deceased said he had suffered from severe injuries including fractures and a major laceration of the heart. His blood registered absence of alcohol. He had two other medications in his system, both within therapeutic levels.
A relative asked the coroner whether Mr Kinahan, who had gone to work in Blanchardstown at 5am that morning and was returning home from work, could have been tired and lost consciousness. Professor Sabah said she was unable to say whether that could have been the case.
The coroner returned a verdict of cerebral and cranial injuries consistent with a road traffic accident.
Mr Lacy and Inspector Alan Roughneen extended their sympathy to the family of deceased.
