The jury in an inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy, killed when the car he was driving stuck a tree, has returned a verdict of accidental death.
Thomas Healy of the Gap of Dunloe, Beaufort, died on the Ross Road, Killarney on July 7th, 2021.
While driving through Killarney, a Garda car had tried to stop the vehicle.
When trying to avoid the garda car, the green Toyota Corolla the boy was driving crossed the road and struck a tree on the Ross Road.
Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said Thomas Healy as a result of blunt force trauma.
The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dr Bolster told his family that the boy would not have suffered as he went unconscious very quickly.
Thomas Healy’s passenger in the car also gave evidence.
The man, who was 15 at the time of the accident, said that he had been texting with Thomas and they decided to go for a drive.
He said he’d never known Mr Healy to drive on public roads before, but that he was a good driver.}
He gave evidence that they drove from Beaufort and parked in the Tesco carpark in Killarney.
He said upon leaving the carpark, a Garda van came upon them near the roundabout by the Countess Shopping Centre.
The Garda van followed them along the Park Road, East Avenue, and out Ross Road.
Garda Seán O’Sullivan was driving the Garda van which came across Thomas Healy’s car.
He stated that he had not taken much notice of the car at first as it was driving steadily.
He said that his suspicions were aroused when the passenger keep looking back at him.
Garda O’Sullivan said that he turned on the van’s lights and sirens near the Avenue Hotel.
The passenger gave evidence that his last memory before waking up in hospital was of the Garda van driving up very close behind them.
However, Garda O’Sullivan gave evidence that the car “took off” when the lights and siren were turned on, and that he lost sight of it by the first turn on the Ross Road.
He said he next saw the car when he came across the single vehicle collision further along the Ross Road.
The two boy had not been wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of accidental death and the foreman stated that they accepted Dr Bolster’s determination of cause of death.
Coroner Aisling Bolster said that Mr Healy was a young man with his life before him.
