A verdict of accidental death has been recorded at the inquest into the deaths of five school children killed in the Navan bus crash in May 2005.
Claire McCluskey (17), Deirdre Scanlon (17), Aimee McCabe (15), Lisa Callan (14), and Sinead Ledwidge (14) were killed instantly when the coach they were travelling in crashed outside the Co Meath town on May 23rd 2005.
The inquest into their deaths began in Trim this morning and heard that the deaths could have been prevented had the anti-lock braking system (ABS) been working on the day of the crash.
The jury adopted a number of recommendations made by Meath County Coroner, John Lacy. He recommended that ABS be fitted in all buses and all drivers be properly trained in its use. He also called for a programme of safety awareness to be introduced in schools.
Garda Adrian Tucker, a public service vehicle inspector for 28 years, identified the cause of the accident as a wheel-lock which caused the bus to skid and then turn over.
He said an examination of the bus after the collision showed that the ABS cables to three of the wheels were not functioning properly at the time of the crash and had been out of operation for some time before that.
He also said that the bulb for the ABS warning light had gone and was not replaced so a driver would not have known that it was malfunctioning.
Garda Tucker said the failure of the ABS was not the only reason for the accident, but it was a “major contributory factor”.
“If the ABS system had been working correctly the driver would have been in a position to maintain steering control even after the harsh application of the brakes,” Garda Tucker said.
“It most certainly would have assisted the driver in preventing the accident,” he said.
Garda Tucker identified a number of other factors that contributed to the accident. He said weather conditions were poor and there were roadworks on the road at the time. The road also did not have a top surface.
He said signage for the roadworks was not up the standard demanded in the Department of the Environment guidelines.
He estimated that the bus driver John Hubble was doing between 57kph and 64kph at the time of the accident which was below the speed limit of 80kph. However, Garda Tucker said consideration should have been given to a lower speed limit on that section of road.
Had the driver maintained a proper position on the road rounding the bend where the crash took place, there would have been no need to apply the brakes so violently, Garda Tucker added.
Pathologist Dr Brian Farrell, who is also the Dublin coroner, said all five schoolgirls died from multiple injuries consistent with a vehicle rolling over.
Another 46 schoolchildren were injured, including Rachel McGovern who was still trapped under the bus when emergency crews arrived. Mr Hubble and a motorist in another vehicle were also injured.
Fines totalling €2.2 million were imposed on Bus Éireann, Meath County Council and Keltank Ltd, a garage in Navan who serviced the bus, in June for breaches of health and safety legislation arising out of the fatal crash.
