An inquest has revealed that a motorist, banned from driving, was driving at 60km over the speed limit and had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood when he caused a fatal accident by crashing into a street lamp in southwest Dublin almost half a decade ago. This resulted in his own death as well as the death of his passenger.
The individuals involved in the crash were Dean Coleman, aged 25 from Drimnagh, and his passenger, Annemarie Hooper, a 33-year-old mother of two from Tallaght. Tragically, they both lost their lives in the accident which took place as a sole-vehicle crash on Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, in the early morning of December 17, 2019. Prior to the tragic event, Coleman had been pursued by police for not stopping when instructed by detectives.
In a sitting of the Dublin District Coroner’s Court on a Tuesday, it was discussed that the main cause of the crash was the excessive speed Coleman was driving at. He was found to have been travelling at 113km/h in a 50km/h zone when he lost control of the Fiat Stilo he was driving. The car spun out of its path and wrapped around a street lamp.
The coroner’s court heard that Coleman’s blood-alcohol concentration was twice the legal limit and there were traces of cocaine found in his body. The pathologist, Heidi Okkers, stated that this mixture tends to make people “take more unnecessary risks”. Hooper’s toxicology report also showed a presence of alcoholic and cocaine. During the crash, both Coleman and Hooper were not wearing seatbelts.
It was also revealed in the court that Coleman may not have been well-acquainted with the car as it did not belong to him. Furthermore, two of the vehicle’s tyres were not fit for the road.
Detective Garda David Sheehan conveyed to the court that he heard the noise of squealing tyres near the Old Bawn Shopping Centre, Tallaght. When he tried to stop the car, the driver refused to comply and sped off in the direction of the Old Bawn Road.
Det Gda Sheehan and Det Garda Patrick Browne began to chase a vehicle which failed to stop. The Garda control centre was informed about the pursuit by Det Gda Browne. Subsequently, another police car from Rathfarnham Garda station joined the chase.
As testified by Det Gda Sheehan, the Fiat Stilo vehicle involved in the pursuit was out of their sight multiple times, with the driver, Coleman, running several red lights at various junctions.
Following the car crash on Butterfield Avenue, the gardaí found no signs of life at the scene, which happened about four minutes post the commencement of the pursuit. As per Garda Lyn Connaughton, a forensic collisions investigator, the vehicle was “catastrophically” damaged after the collision and had wrapped around a lamp-post.
Connaughton added that after making a wide right-hand turn, Coleman lost control, leading to the crash on a straight road. Coleman’s vehicle was about 141m to 156m ahead when the collision happened. The speed was cited as the primary reason behind the accident.
She confirmed to Lauren Flanagan BL, representing the Hooper family, that Coleman wasn’t legally allowed to drive since he was previously disqualified from driving.
Diane Stuart BL, who served as the counsel for Gsoc, questioned Det Gda Sheehan about the “managed containment” directive issued in September 2019, stating the necessity for Garda drivers to get explicit permission to pursue a vehicle from the command and control. Det Gda Sheehan responded that while he didn’t specifically ask for permission, he presumed it was implied as there were no instructions to stop.
The Gsoc investigation into the incident did not recommend any disciplinary actions against the police force members. Coroner Dr Clare Keane concluded that the victim, Hooper, died from multiple traumatic injuries sustained as an unrestrained passenger in a single-vehicle collision.
The cause of death for Coleman was identified as multiple traumatic blunt force injuries, resulting from a solo vehicle incident in which the driver was not restrained. Following a brief period of evaluation, the jury ruled both Hooper and Coleman’s cases as accidental. The jury subsequently proposed that refresher training should be conducted regarding the managed containment policy within An Garda Síochána.
However, Dr. Keane objected to formally accepting this proposal due to the lack of supporting evidence suggesting issues surrounding managed containment policy during the referenced incident. Nevertheless, she acknowledged her intent to informally relay the recommendation to the concerned authorities.
Hooper’s daughter, Katelyn Hooper, publicly announced in a written statement that her mother’s death has profoundly affected her life in countless aspects. By the time her mother passed, Katelyn was just 13, admitting that her mother missed many significant moments in her life, including when she received her driving licence, a milestone she should have shared with her mother.
Katelyn mourned the loss of numerous memories and expressed the challenges she must face during every key phase of her life. Her mother would not be there to send her to her debs, offer guidance when required, witness her wedding or participate in her life events.
She emotionally stated that the implications of this tragic incident will linger throughout her life. Words fail to express the havoc caused in her life due to her mother’s untimely demise, she confessed.