Open verdict recorded in car fire death

Open verdict recorded in car-fire death


Anton McNulty

AN investigation into the death of a 34-year-old man who died when his crashed car burst into flames has found that the fire was probably caused when petrol spilled over the car’s hot engine.
Marc McKenna, with an address of 57 McCormack Estate, Castlebar, died on September 27, 2014, when the car he was driving left the road at Cartoon, Newport, struck a tree, overturned and burst into flames. Mr McKenna suffered a broken arm and leg in the impact, and this may have prevented him from escaping from the car, the inquest into his death was told.
A native of Dublin, Mr McKenna had moved to Mayo with his partner, Jennifer Considine, and had only bought the 2003 Saab car for her a few weeks earlier.
Mr McKenna suffered horrific injuries in the crash, with 70 percent loss of skin and soft tissue. His body was described as ‘carbonised’ in the post mortem report. DNA testing was required to positively determine his identity.
The car was still registered to the previous owner, Darren Heraty of Three Bridges, Islandeady, at the time of the crash and gardaí had initially thought that he may have been the body in the car.

Fire extinguisher
Newport taxi-driver, Michael O’Haire came upon the crash on the night. He told the inquest  that he was travelling on the main Newport to Castlebar road at 1.30am when he came upon the scene. He described how he ran to his nearby home for a fire extinguisher and tried in vain to put out the fire.
“I tried everything that I could possibly do to open the doors. The flames had grown again and I was overcome with smoke,” he said, before adding he could hear a faint voice as he tried to put out the fire.
There were no witnesses to the crash, but Garda Paul Lafferty described debris on the road and how the vehicle had collided ‘with a substantial sized tree’. He said that when the fire had been quenched, it took considerable time to gain access to the vehicle due to its position, and that trees and branches had to be cut to gain access.
The vehicle was unidentifiable, and the registration number was only ascertained when the chassis number was found.
Garda Lafferty explained that as the road swept left, the car appeared to have gone straight on.
Sergeant Gabriel McLoughlin, who carried out an investigation into the crash, said the impact was to the front of the car, and that the car engine had broken out and the sub frame had buckled.
When asked by the coroner, John O’Dwyer if it was unusual for a car to go on fire, he explained that petrol spilling onto a hot engine can result in a fire. He said this was the second occasion he has seen an overturned car go on fire.

Broken limbs
Dr Fadel Bennani, pathologist explained that Mr McKenna’s left arm and right leg were broken and that these injuries would have prevented him from escaping from the car. He said that he was unable to recover any fluid or blood to determine any levels of alcohol. The cause of death, he said was due to severe burns.
Mr O’Dwyer recorded an open verdict and explained he was doing so because there was no indiction as to how the accident occurred.
He described the loss of life as regrettable and a tragedy, and he expressed sympathy to Mr McKenna’s partner and family. Mr O’Dwyer commended Mr O’Haire for doing all he could to save Mr McKenna despite endangering himself in the process.