Teenage Mayo motorcyclists died instantly after colliding with crash barrier

A Mayo teenager who crashed his motorbike into a crash barrier at a bend along the old N5 road near Castlebar died instantly due to head and spinal injuries, his inquest heard.

Kacper Piotr Swierkowski (18) of 43 Knockaphunta, Castlebar was killed when his 'high powered' motorbike crashed into a crash barrier along the R309 at Cloonkeen, Castlebar on March 14, 2024.

The inquest into the teenagers death which took place in Ballina Courthouse heard that the Leaving Cert student failed to negotiate a sharp left hand bend when travelling from Westport towards Castlebar at around 4.50pm. The road which was the old N5 is governed by a 80km per hour speed limit.

Mr Swierkowski was wearing a helmet and leathers but struck his head on a pillar of the crash barrier when thrown from the motorbike and sustained extensive head injuries as well as severing his spine in three places.

Dr Fadel Bennani, Consultant Pathologist told the inquest that the post mortem revealed that the cause of death was due to severe brain and spinal cord injury sustained in a road traffic accident and explained that death would have been instant.

Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, Coroner for Mayo, heard that Mr Swierkowski had bought the Honda CBR 500cc motorbike three months previously and had gone to Westport to collect his younger brother's retainer from a dentist.

There were no independent witnesses to the collision which occurred when Mr Swierkowski was returning back to Castlebar.

Investigation

An forensic Garda investigation of the scene found the bike was not extensively damaged following the impact and was in good working condition. The road was also dry and it was still bright when the collision occurred.

Sergeant John Horkan who investigated the collision explained that it appeared Mr Swierkowski failed to negotiate the left bend and crossed the road before hitting the crash barrier on the other side of the road. There were no skid marks on the road before the motorbike crashed and Sgt Horkan said there was no way to determine the speed it may have been travelling.

When asked by Dr Fitzgerald if there was any indication of why he left the road, Sgt Horkan said the motorcycle was a high powered vehicle and Mr Swierkowski's lack of experience on it may have played a part.

Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, Coroner for Mayo 

Mr Swierkowski's mother, Julenta explained that she was working on the day of the accident and had earlier asked her son to collect the retainer from Westport as her car was off the road. His father Robert explained that earlier that afternoon he collected his son from Davitt College and was returning to work at around 4.30pm when his son left for Westport at the same time.

The Polish natives explained that their son had another motorbike before saving up to purchase the Honda and they had no idea how powerful it was.

Good Samaritans

Maria Moran explained she was travelling to her home in Westport from the direction of Castlebar when she came across the motorcycle at the crash barrier. She said she and other cars stopped and she called 999 as she felt the bike was a danger to other vehicles on the road.

While on the phone to the emergency services she discovered the body of Mr Swierkowski on the grass verge. She said as a trained EMT with Westport Order of Malta she went to administer first aid. She noted that his injuries were substantial and there was a lot of blood around his mouth.

Dr Jason Horan, a consultant in emergency medicine also attended the scene and death was pronounced at 5.07pm.

Dr Fitzgerald said the death of Mr Swierkowski highlighted that dangers associated with motorbikes and fatalities in these collisions can be quite high. She also noted the high powered motorbike and Mr Swierkowski's lack of experience and pointed out that people need to take this into mind when going out on the public road.

“Kascper was not an experienced driver and may not have been aware of the dangers,” she said.

Dr Fitzgerald recorded a verdict of accidental death and expressed her sympathy to the family of Mr Swierkowski and also complimented all the emergency services and members of the public for coming to his assistance.

Sergeant Noel Crinnegan also praised the work of the Good Samaritans who came to the assistance of Mr Swierkowski and expressed his sympathy to his parents and siblings.