Mayo daughter of woman who died after N17 crash tells court family don't want retribution

THE family of the late Kathleen Forkan, of Treenkeel, Kiltimagh, have received an apology in court from a man who collided with the back of a car in which she was being driven.

Ms Forkan (84) died ten days after a collision on the N17, which occurred on September 24, 2022. She was the front-seat passenger in a car being driven by her daughter Dymphna Murphy when it was struck from behind by a vehicle being driven by Mohammed Alqarra, of Windsor Lodge, North Road, Drogheda, Co Louth.

On the day of the collision, Ms Forkan and Ms Murphy had been visiting a cousin of Ms Forkan’s in a nursing home.

Ms Murphy was preparing to turn left at a junction in the direction of Kiltimagh when her car was struck from behind by Alqarra’s. There was no evidence of excessive speed.

The defendant’s car had five occupants, including children and a one-month-old baby.

Ms Forkan did not appear to be seriously injured immediately following the accident and the court heard that her main concern at the time was for the Alqarra family. She later went into shock and was taken to Mayo University Hospital by ambulance, where her condition deteriorated further.

She died ten days later with the cause of death given as a massive pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis with a major contributing factor a subdural hematoma sustained in a road traffic accident.

Mrs Forkan, who was a grandmother of 12, was described as a ‘a loving mother and grandmother’ who had the ‘ability to light up a room’, by her daughter Dymphna in a victim impact statement.

READ: Mayo woman wins stunning BMW X5 while on holiday after entering €2 raffle

Caring nature

“Her caring nature meant she was more concerned about the safety of the Alqarra family than her own in the aftermath of the crash,” read the statement.

Her daughter said the family had no wish for retribution. The Forkan family said they hope their mother’s tragic death serves as a reminder of how precious life is.

Mr Alqarra, a Palestinian who has been living and working in Ireland for a number of years, pleaded guilty to careless driving and expressed remorse over his actions.

The court heard through an Arabic interpreter that Mr Alqarra had lost his mother at a young age and had lost relatives during the war in Gaza.

The father of four had been living in Ireland for three years before the collision. He had no previous convictions at the time of the accident but came before the district court in Co Louth for breaking a red light 13 months after the crash.

Judge Eoin Garavan praised the Forkan family for their ‘beautiful’ victim impact statement but said it was clear that Alqarra was not ‘keeping a proper lookout’ during the collision.

He noted the early plea and lack of aggravating factors and said he believed Mr Alqarra’s apology to be heartfelt and genuine.

“Nothing is to be gained by putting this man in prison,” Judge Garavan remarked.

He imposed a ten-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year driving disqualification on Mr Alqarra.