Father tells Mayo lorry driver he is not responsible for death of his eight-year-old daughter

The father of an eight-year-old Mayo girl who died in a traffic accident along with her mother following a collision with a lorry told the driver he does not hold him responsible for the tragedy.

In a letter which was read out at the inquest of Aisling Moore (46) of  11 Cois Coille, Kilkelly Road, Swinford and her daughter, Abbigael Tournié Moore (8), Arnaud Tournié stated he wanted to extend his heartfelt support to the lorry driver, Martin Crean and did not wish him to be consumed by guilt.

Verdicts of accidental death were recorded into the deaths of both Aisling and Abbigael who both died when their car was struck by a lorry while travelling along the N26 at between Foxford and Swinford at Callow on July 2, 2024.

The inquest heard evidence which described how Ms Moore's car failed to take a turn while travelling towards Swinford at around 5.30pm and started to veer into the direction of Mr Crean's Scania articulated lorry which was travelling in the opposite direction.

Mr Crean braked hard to avoid a collision but as he did the lorry jack-knifed into Ms Moore's Toyota Avensis and caused extension damage. Both Ms Moore and her daughter, who were the only occupants of the car, suffered extensive injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.

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Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, Coroner for the district of Mayo, told the inquest that she received a letter from Mr Tournié which he asked to be read to the inquest which took place this morning in Ballina courthouse.

In it he stated that he writes the letter 'with the full weight of a father's sorrow' but also 'with a sincere desire' to offer Mr Crean 'some comfort'.

“No words can express the depth of my grief. Yet, despite this immense pain, I want you to know that I do not hold you responsible for this tragedy.

“I understand how deeply such an event can mark the life of someone who, through no fault of their own, becomes part of it. That is why I want to extend my heartfelt support to you. I know you must carry this image with you every day, and that it cannot be easy – for you or your loved ones.

“I do not want you to be consumed by guilt, because this accident was neither the result of negligence nor of any wrongdoing on your part. You did what you could, and no one is ever truly prepared for such a moment. It is a tragedy – unfathomable and unfair – for all of us.

“Please receive these words as a gesture of compassion, of humanity, and, I hope, a small measure of solace. I wish you, with time, the inner peace needed to move forward and to honour, in your own way, the memory of these two beautiful souls taken too soon,” he wrote.

Without warning

The inquest heard that Ms Moore and Abbigael had spent a few days in the Ocean Sands Hotel in Enniscrone and were returning to their home in Swinford to prepare for Abbigael to spend time with her father in France.

Martin Crean from Ballina told the inquest he worked for West Coast Express as a lorry driver and on the day had been making deliveries around parts of east Mayo. He was driving a Scania lorry and pulling a 45 foot trailer which weighed around ten to 15 tonnes.

He explained he left Kiltimagh at 5.05pm and had gone through Swinford when he came towards a bend in the road around Callow. He said he was travelling at approximately 80km per hour when a car came around the bend and without warning came onto his side of the road.

He said he braked hard and believed the car which clipped the grass verge was trying to get onto its correct side of the road. He said when they collected he pushed the car back and they came to a stop on the grass verge on the other side of the road. Mr Crean said he was shocked and stunned but was uninjured.

Coroner for Mayo, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald

PJ Wall, who was travelling behind Ms Moore's car explained that she failed to take a left hand bend and veered onto the incorrect side of the road and ended up in front of a lorry. He said the lorry jack-knifed and pushed the car into the ditch. He said there was no response from anyone in the car.

When asked by Dr Fitzgerald, Mr Wall described the bend as mild and there was no reason why the car veered into the incorrect side of the road.

Adrian Finnergan, an advanced paramedic, told the inquest he arrived at the scene at around 6.01pm and explained that he could not access the car due to the damage. With the assistance of fire service, he managed to enter the car and pronounced both occupants dead at 6.08pm.

The inquest was told that both vehicles were examined and both were in perfect working condition at the time of the collision.

Garda John Naughton who examined the scene and the collision explained that the conditions were dry at the time and there were no breaches according to Mr Crean's tachograph. He said it also showed that at the time of the collision, Mr Crean was travelling at 43km per hour.

Jack-knifed

Garda Naughton told Dr Fitzgerald that the collision occurred on Ms Moore's side of the road and this illustrated that she managed to get back onto her correct side. However, he said that as a result of the hard braking, the lorry jack-knifed and went into the path of the Toyota car. He said there was no way Mr Crean could recover the lorry when it jack-knifed.

Sergeant John Melia explained that Mr Crean was tested for alcohol and drugs following the accident and found to be negative for both.

Dr Tomas Nemeth, pathologist in Mayo University Hospital explained that the post mortem results showed that Ms Moore died as a result of extensive fatal injuries including multiple fractures while Abbigael died as a result of extensive injuries.

Dr Fitzgerald expressed her sympathy to Mr Tournié and the Moore family and recorded verdicts of accidental death in both cases. She said that nobody will know why Ms Moore's car veered onto the incorrect side of the road but hoped the family would get comfort in knowing she did not suffer as death would have been almost instant.

She also expressed sympathy with Mr Crean and hoped he takes comfort in Mr Tournié's letter and knows he is not to blame.

Court presenter, Sergeant Seán McHale also expressed sympathy to Mr Tournié and the Moore family along with Mr Crean and commended members of the public and the emergency services for their help on the day.