Motorcyclist died in M50 crash after ‘drinking homemade wine’

A motorcyclist died in a crash on the M50 motorway in Dublin after drinking homemade wine, an inquest has heard. Krzysztof Pysniak, Cruise Park Drive, Tyrrelstown, Dublin, hit the crash barrier just beyond the northbound exit for Blanchardstown on the motorway on July 19th, 2015.

Dublin Coroner's Court heard he had made his own wine and brought it with him to a friend's house, arriving at 5.30pm that day. Robert Wozniak said he and Mr Pysniak had been friends for 20 years.

“He brought a one litre bottle of homemade wine and we shared it. After that we had one shot of whiskey each and then he stopped drinking alcohol and started drinking water to be okay to drive,” he said. Mr Pysniak “did not seem drunk” when he left to return home, Mr Wozniak added.

Dr Rory Kelly told the inquest he was driving on the M50 at about 9.50pm when a motorbike passed him at speed. "I'd never seen a motorbike travel so fast," he said. He recalled the motorbike weaving through traffic and then veering from the outside lane to the inside lane. It then hit the barrier.

The bike went on to its side and hit the barrier again before sliding for almost 90 metres. Gardaí said the speed the motorbike was travelling at after the second impact was 87km/h. The speed before the first impact was estimated to be significantly higher, the inquest heard.

Dr Kelly rushed to help Mr Pysniak but his helmet had come off in the impact, resulting in a severe head injury. His death was instantaneous, the court heard. A postmortem gave the cause of death as head injury following a road traffic collision. Mr Pysniak was four times over the legal driving limit, with a blood alcohol level of 208 mg per 100ml.

Garda Sgt Joseph McLaughlin of Blanchardstown Garda Station said the crash was the result of excessive speed which led to loss of control of the motorbike.

The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.