NEIGHBOURS OF a 66-year-old man killed when a train hit his car at a level crossing last February described the intersection at an inquest yesterday as “an absolute nightmare”.
John Mulroy told coroner for south Mayo John O’Dwyer that he avoided the crossing where PJ McGowan from Straide, Foxford, died on February 28th last because it was so dangerous. Another neighbour of the victim, Tony Cogger, said: “PJ was afraid of his life at that crossing. We all are.”
Mr McGowan was killed instantly at an unmanned level crossing beside his home when a train travelling from Ballina to Manulla smashed into his silver Chevrolet car.
Dr Fadel Bennani, consultant pathologist at Mayo General Hospital, told the hearing that Mr McGowan appeared to have been in good health prior to the incident in which he sustained multiple fatal injuries.
Among those who gave evidence at the inquest were the train driver, Seán Finnerty, Corroy, Ballina; Gerry Glynn district manager of Iarnród Éireann; Niall Lynch, divisional engineer and Damien McConnell, mechanical engineer.
Mr Finnerty told the hearing that he was proceeding at about 55mph. The speed limit on the line was 60mph. The driver added that he had a good view of the railway line from the train but he could not see anything on the road which crosses the track because the view is restricted by hedges and trees.
“Just as I reached crossing number 32, I glimpsed something moving toward the line at speed from my right hand side. There was a collision and I immediately applied the emergency brake. I could not see what the train had struck but I knew it to be some kind of road vehicle,” he said.
He described leaving the train and going back to the vehicle. “It was extensively damaged and it was apparent to me that the driver of the car was dead. I raised the alarm through the signal man in Athlone.”
Questioned by Pat O’Connor, solicitor (representing the victim’s relatives), Mr Finnerty said he had not blown the train’s horn at the crossing because there was no whistleboard there and he had no reason to.
Mr Lynch told the inquest the crossing isn’t classified as high risk. The number of unmanned crossings in the rail network had been reduced over a decade from 2,050 to 1,100.
Mr Lynch said that crossing 32 was not high risk “other than for viewing”. Asked what remedial works had been undertaken by the company since the accident, witness said that none was required. However, there had been a request from locals for a whistleboard which had been acceded to.
Mr Lynch said he was unaware of any formal request from Mr McGowan to have the crossing closed.
After the inquest jury had returned a verdict of accidental death, Mr O’Connor, on behalf of Mr McGowan’s nephew Andrew McGowan and his cousins, Paul and Maireád Bourke, said the family felt the incident was foreseeable and could have been avoided. They hoped that some lessons may have been learned and that Mr McGowan’s death had not been in vain.