Retired State Pathologist Dr John Harbison told a trial in Carlow yesterday that in his opinion the death of a 37-year-old man was caused by multiple crush injuries to the chest and spine, consistent with being run over by a motor vehicle.
Dr Harbison was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of a 31-year-old woman charged with dangerous driving causing death and failing to report an accident to the gardaí.
Ms Nessa Fitzgibbon, single, The Moate Cottage, Rathellen, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, is charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Gerard Kehoe (37), Oldtown, Nurney, Co Carlow, on February 9th, 2002, at Clonmelsh, Powerstown, Carlow. She is also charged with not reporting the accident to the gardaí. Ms Fitzgibbon has denied both charges.
Dr Harbison told the court of conducting a post mortem on Mr Kehoe's body at the morgue in the County Hospital, Naas. He said there were a number of injuries to the body, head, forearm, chest, temple, nose and calf.
He also noted the brain stem had been severed. Because of the injuries to his chest, even if he had lived the victim would have found it extremely difficult, if near to impossible, to breathe. He had sustained four broken ribs. Dr Harbison said the man's blood alcohol level was 177mg, twice the allowed limit for driving a car, while the urine level was 214mg.
Mr Noel Sweetman SC, for the defence, asked about the likelihood of the fatal injuries being inflicted while the deceased was in the prone position."He was lying on the ground when the vehicle hit him," he said.
"That is so," said Dr Harbison. The trial continues.