Cork man crushed by car after it rolled down his driveway died from extensive injuries

A man died after being crushed by his car after it rolled down his driveway as he prepared to move it so that oil could be delivered, a death inquest has heard.

Stanley Horan of Ballinvraghnosig, Riverstick, Co Cork, tried to initially stop the car from rolling, the inquest at Bandon District Court heard, before losing his footing.

The incident occurred on the morning of February 22 last year. Coroner Frank O’Connell heard that Mr Horan had gone to move the Ford Fiesta ahead of an oil delivery. His wife, Helen, did not witness the incident and said in a statement that she heard a “loud bang”.

Neighbour Morgane Cipollane was first on the scene as she prepared to drop her daughter to school. She said she heard a “loud metallic bang” and when she ran over she saw Mr Horan on the ground, with blood coming from his nose and ear.

Ms Cipollane called her neighbour, Chalieze Jones, who began performing CPR on arrival.

The car had crashed into a nearby barrier with the door still open, the inquest heard, with Ms Jones also fetching a blanket and then alternating CPR with her husband, who also came to the scene.

Ambulance

An ambulance quickly followed with paramedics made aware that Ms Horan had only just learned what had happened to her husband. The inquest was told that one paramedic said: “She doesn’t need to see this”.

Mr Horan’s son, Stephen, who lives nearby, also gave a statement to gardaí following the incident, in which he outlined how he had to identify his father.

Garda John Stack told the coroner that Dr Jason Van Der Velde, who attended and who pronounced Mr Horan dead at the scene at 9.31am, formed the initial impression that he had been run over by a car. Mr Horan’s home had two CCTV cameras, and the footage revealed what had occurred.

Gda Stack said that at 8.54am two vehicles, one of which was the Fiesta, were side by side in front of the house. The coroner had been told that Mr Horan was seeking to make room for an oil delivery and Gda Stack said a battery that had been charged was likely being used to jumpstart the Fiesta.

CCTV Footage

He said the CCTV footage showed the car, which did not have the handbrake engaged but which had been parked on a level surface, starting to roll, possibly having been moved by the vibrations of the engine. 

Mr Horan put his hands on the bonnet but then lost his footing, as the car “took off at speed”.

“He turned with his hands [on the car] and as he turned he tripped,” Gda Stack said, adding that the car “gained momentum” and rolled over Mr Horan.

Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said Mr Horan had experienced extensive crush injuries to his chest, resulting in collapsed lungs and fractured ribs, as well as an injury to his spinal cord.

Mr O’Connell delivered a verdict of accidental death due to blunt force chest trauma. He described Mr Horan as doing “a very innocent thing early in the morning”, adding: “You would never imagine anything like this happening.”