Inquest hears N4 accident victim here to do 'dream cycle'

A 64-year-old American man who was on his way to fulfil his “dream” of cycling around the West of Ireland died in a two-vehicle road accident on the N4 outside Ballinalack in July last year, an inquest has been told.

Westmeath Coroner Emily Mahon conducted the inquest at Mullingar Courthouse into the death of Christopher Richard Dedera, a retired consultant of Forest Lakes Drive, Keller, Texas. Mr Dedera’s widow Corine attended the inquest by video link.

Kevin Byrne of Tailteann Court, Mullingar who was not in attendance at the inquest but whose statement to gardaí was read by Sergeant Orla Keenan, said that on 9 July he was a front seat passenger in a car driven by his wife, with three children in the back, when he saw a VW car merging across the road at a 45-degree angle. He said the VW car crashed into a white van travelling behind them.

Mr Byrne said that following the collision, he went to the car but could not see anybody in it because of the smoke emerging from the vehicle. A rock was used to try to get into the vehicle but that was unsuccessful; somebody brought a wheelbrace to the scene and it was used to gain entry. Mr Byrne said that a pulse could not be found in the victim and Mrs Byrne had started CPR. A woman who was a nurse stopped at the scene to help and shortly after that an ambulance and gardaí arrived.

The witness said it did not seem as if the VW car was driving over the speed limit.

Nurse Laura McAuliffe who was driving along the N4 around the time of the accident, said that she saw a lot of traffic stopped ahead of her. She saw a man being attended to and she took over CPR. She described to the inquest how she had tried to resuscitate Mr Dedera but was unable to get a pulse.

Ms McAuliffe said she had gone to the scene later and placed flowers there.

Garda Niall Keenan said that he was in an official patrol car driven by Garda Aine Ryan when they were alerted to the accident. When they got to the scene, an ambulance was present and a victim was being treated. He spoke to Mr Kevin Byrne (38), who said the VW car had merged to his side of the road.

Loralee Dedera, a relative of Mr Dedera, gave evidence that her brother had travelled to Dublin so he could go on a cycle around the west of Ireland. It was his dream to do that cycle, she said.

She said that Mr Dedera and his wife had been married for 33 years and had engaged in charitable work in his area, including helping to raise money for research into diabetes.

Garda Maurice Mahon, forensic collision investigator, told the inquest that there had been no pre-impact braking in Mr Dedera’s car. From his examinations, the car was yawing at two degrees per second and then six degrees per second.

Consultant pathologist Dr Nazia Raheem, who carried out a post mortem on Mr Dedera’s body, concluded that he had died by asphyxia due to compression. She said there was nothing to prove that he had had suffered a medical incident prior to the accident.

The coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, that Mr Dedera had died in a road accident.

Ms Dedera said she wanted to thank Mr Byrne, Ms McAuliffe and all who helped Christopher at the scene.