THE inquest into the deaths of two young Limerick men who died in a horrific car crash earlier this year has heard that neither of them were wearing seatbelts.
Andrew Mason, (23) of Ballyclough Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston and Michael Madigan, (28) of Liosdara, Broadford, County Limerick, died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash at Hyde Road on March 15 last.
The two men were travelling in a Toyota Corolla that hit an oncoming van carrying a father and his young daughter.
At Limerick Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, Garda forensic collision experts said the car was travelling at speed and that neither Andrew Mason or Michael Madigan were wearing their seat-belts when the Toyota veered to the other side of the road and struck the van.
Toxicology reports found that Mr Mason, who was the driver of the car, had no alcohol taken.
The driver of the van, Shane McSweeney of Willow Grove, Old Cratloe Road, said he was driving on Hyde Road shortly after 7:30pm and had his young daughter Lucy with him.
He described how he saw a car approach his side of the road and smash in to his van.
Mr McSweeney said: “I put my hand across my young daughter to protect her. There was no time to prevent an impact.
“I swerved hard and heard the screams of my child. It was hard to believe the force and speed at which the other car drove at me.
“I grabbed my child and I found the door jammed. I forced it and ran with my child and people at the scene took her as I collapsed with pain. My child was asking for her puppy who was in the van.”
He went over to where the car had ended up and said he couldn’t describe “how horrific the scene was.
“I thought my daughter would die. It was a horrific experience. I went to the other car and saw two men, one in the driver seat and the other in the passenger seat. They were face down on the dashboard with blood everywhere. It was a sickening sight.
“The two bodies were motionless and I thought both were dead,” Mr McSweeney said as he recalled how emergency paramedics and firefighters tried to help the two men.
The court found that Mr Mason and Mr Madigan died from multiple injuries having been involved in a road traffic accident.
