A FIREFIGHTER has described how he had to return to work moments after witnessing a horrific crash which claimed the lives of Garda Brian Kelleher and fireman Michael Liston in Co Limerick in February last year.
The evidence was heard on the third day of the trial of Niall Shannon, Lenamore, Ballylongford, Co Kerry, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of dangerous driving causing the two deaths.
The 20-year-old also denies driving with excess alcohol and driving with two bald tyres at Barrigone, Foynes, Co Limerick on February 25th, 2007.
Yesterday at Limerick Circuit Court, firefighter Neil Daly recalled how he observed the headlights of a car before hearing a "crash-cum-thud sound" and seeing bits of debris and a large object being thrown into the air.
"It looked at the time to be a body. I don't actually remember it landing, all I know is it was momentarily in the air," he said. Mr Daly, who had been manning traffic in the area following an earlier crash, told the court he knew "something drastic had gone wrong".
He said he found Garda Kelleher on the ground with his eyes open, but there was no sign of life. He recalled how he then heard screaming. He looked up and saw his colleague Eddie Murphy lying at the side of the road towards a ditch, with Michael Liston lying beside him. He described Eddie shouting "Mike is dead".
The witness said he remembered a person getting out of the passenger side of an Audi Coupe and saying "Sorry about that lads . . . or something like that."
Mr Daly said Garda Ollie O'Sullivan told the emergency workers that if they didn't go back to manning traffic "it would happen again", and apologised for sending the men back to work.
Earlier, senior defence counsel Anthony Sammon questioned the effectiveness of measures taken to ensure traffic did not enter the scene of the earlier crash being attended by emergency workers.
The trial has been adjourned until next Wednesday.