The jury at the inquest into the death of Kate Moyles (24) in a traffic pile-up on a motorway in March has returned a verdict of accidental death.
Her car hit the back of a fire engine which was in traffic on the M7 in Kildare and en route to the scene of the first of a number of collisions on the M7/M9 on March 27th. The inquest heard Ms Moyles died from head injuries.
The driver of the fire engine told the inquest he was unable to move into the overtaking lane on the motorway, even though the blue lights and sirens were in use, because traffic was moving too fast.
The crash occurred in foggy conditions, although a Met Éireann meteorologist told the inquest the weather was not exceptional.
Gardaí said they found no skid marks at the scene, backing up a claim that the car which Ms Moyles was driving did not brake before impact.
The jury recommended that permanent overhead warning signs should be installed to warn of dangers ahead on all major roads.
The Moyles family said they hope Kate's death will serve as a warning to others about the dangers of excessive speed and tailgating.
Up to 60 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes on the motorway on the same day in one of the worst pile-ups ever on the State's roads. A total of 27 people were hospitalised.
The crashes occurred just before 9am when a lorry crashed into the back of a car transporter, triggering crashes over a five-kilometre stretch on two sections of motorway between Kildare and Naas.