Inquest reveals details of Newport bridge death

Monaghan man died from injuries after colliding with bridge


Anton McNulty
antonmcnulty@mayonews.ie

A Monaghan native living in Newport died after sustaining multiple fractures to his ribs leading to internal bleeding after his van struck a bridge near Kilmeena.
Jonathon Faul (24) of 16 Rosmore, Newport and a native of Inniskeen, Co Monaghan died in Mayo General Hospital on November 13 last shortly after the single vehicle accident occurred along the N59.
The force of the impact of the collision at Knocknaboley, Kilmeena resulted in large stones from the bridge landing on the road which resulted in a second accident not long after the initial accident. The occupants of this car received minor injuries and were brought to hospital.
The inquest into Mr Faul’s death heard that the full impact of the accident was on the driver’s side and Garda Michael Treacy who was the first garda to attend the scene said he had to break the passenger side window to gain entry. He observed that Mr Faul was still alive following the accident but was unconscious and breathing weakly.
The accident occurred at approximately 1.50am and after he was removed from his Opel Vivaro van, Mr Faul was transferred to Mayo General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2.45am. Mr Faul, a builder, had lived in Newport with his fiancee Carmel McCluskey, who was at home at the time of the accident.
Gina Laffey said that she was travelling behind Mr Faul’s van as it travelled from Newport towards Westport and recalled that it started to drift onto its wrong side at different times in the journey.
“The van was fully over. It just crossed over onto the other side of the road.... he just crossed and hit the bridge,” she told the inquest. An examination of the vehicle showed that it was in roadworthy condition of the time of the accident.
Dr Fadel Bennani, consultant pathologist who carried out the post mortem said the alcohol blood level for Mr Faul was ‘extremely high’ and concluded the cause of death was due to multiple fractures of the ribs and sternum, haemothorax and hemopericardium sustained in a road traffic accident. Hemopericardium refers to blood in the pericardial sac of the heart.
The jury who heard the inquest recorded a death by misadventure and coroner for south Mayo, John O’Dwyer extended his sympathies to Mr Faul’s parents and fiancee.

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