A TEENAGE girl was killed instantly when a makeshift sleigh travelling at almost 60kph ploughed into a tree following heavy snowfall last winter.
A day of fun in the snow turned to tragedy when Aoife Downey (15) from The Maples, Frankfield, Douglas, Cork, suffered severe head injuries when the sleigh spun out of control and hit a cluster of pine trees at Frankfield Golf Course on December 18th, 2010.
Aoife’s parents, Seán and Siobhán Downey issued an emotional tribute to their “beautiful, fun-loving, happy” daughter at an inquest into her death yesterday at Cork city coroner’s court.
“Since that day we continue to relive the horror, asking 1,000 ‘what ifs’ and ‘why Aoife’?” Ms Downey said.
Aoife had gathered with friends at the steep sloping incline to slide down on an auctioneer’s sign, despite efforts by staff to block entrances to the golf course. Up to 100 others were sliding on the slopes nearby.
Her best friend Chelsea Noonan told how the sleigh had gathered speed as it careered downhill, with the five teenage friends on board, at around 2pm that day.
“It started going faster and faster. Conor [Kelly] who was on the back fell off and I heard Aoife say ‘Oh s***, I am on the back’,” Ms Noonan said.
Nathan O’Callaghan, who was riding up front before the sleigh spun around, recalled hearing a thump on impact.
“The sign picked up speed. Conor, who was at the back, fell off and we were still going fast. I was getting worried. I could just see the tree. I remember hitting it with a big thump,” he said.
Consultant engineer Kieran Spitere calculated a drop of 30m from the top of the hill to the cluster of trees at the bottom of the golf course. He told the inquest the group were in motion for 17 seconds before the impact occurred, in depths of up to 100mm of snow. He compared the collision to a car crash and said the teens were completely vulnerable. The weight borne by the sleigh was 300kg he said and the load, coupled with gravity, allowed the sleigh to gain dangerous momentum.
“There was significant speed involved. The accident was akin to a car crash but on this occasion those on the sledge were particularly vulnerable as they would not have the benefit of safety equipment,” he told the court.
The teenage girl sustained a fatal fracture to the base of her skull when she collided with a tree and was killed instantly.
The cause of death was brain swelling and bleeding on the brain due to blunt force trauma, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the court.
“When she hit the tree, that was it. She didn’t know anything after that,” Dr Bolster said.
Ms Downey thanked the local community, emergency services and gardaí for their ongoing support and said the family would be forever grateful for Aoife.
“We were incredibly privileged to have such a wonderful daughter. In her short life she touched so many people and brought so much joy and happiness into our lives. For this we will forever be grateful,” she said.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.