A 15-MONTH-OLD boy sustained fatal injuries when his aunt drove over him while reversing her car out of the driveway of his home, an inquest has heard.
Conor Quinlan, Barton Road West, Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, died of multiple head and central nervous system injuries in the tragic incident, which occurred on October 17th, 2009.
The little boy’s aunt, Tracey Pratt, was reversing her BMW four-wheel drive out of the driveway of her sister’s house at the time, an inquest heard yesterday.
“I felt a slight bump underneath the vehicle – first at the rear and then at the front of the car,” Ms Pratt told Dublin County Coroner’s Court.
“As soon as I saw Conor on the ground while I was reversing I immediately got out of the car and went to him,” said Ms Pratt who called the emergency services.
The 15-month-old was pronounced dead at Tallaght Hospital.
Dublin County Coroner’s Court heard that Ms Pratt that had called to her sister Sharon Quinlan’s house earlier that day and had taken her sister’s older son Tom to a party in Naas. She dropped the little boy back at about 3pm.
When she was getting ready to leave with her daughter, Tom jumped into her car and Ms Quinlan took her son out of the car and put him in her own car.
The front door of the house was open at the time and neither Ms Quinlan nor Ms Pratt, who was busy putting her daughter into her car seat, noticed Conor making his way from the house to the car.
The little boy was not able to walk, but was able to move around on his bottom, the inquest heard.
Ms Quinlan was too upset to attend the inquest. Her husband, Patrick Quinlan, who identified the body of his son, was at the hearing.
Collision investigator Garda Anthony Kelly told Dublin County Coroner’s Court that Conor was at the back of the right rear wheel in the vicinity of the bumper of the vehicle and would not have been visible to either Ms Pratt or Ms Quinlan.
The vehicle, which had no defects, was fitted with four sensors, which sound an audible warning tone while it was reversing, but Conor was probably below the sensors, the inquest heard.
A jury returned a verdict of accidental death under the direction of coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty.
Dr Geraghty expressed his condolences to the boy’s parents and to his aunt.
“It’s a very sad case. I think it’s very upsetting for everybody,” he said.
In a separate hearing, the coroner adjourned an inquest into the death of a two-year-old boy who was run over by a van after 11 witnesses scheduled to give evidence failed to show up.
Dr Geraghty adjourned an inquest into the death of Conor Gerard Conroy of Deansrath Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin, at the request of his mother, Joanne Barry.
He died of extensive multiple skull fractures with brain injuries on May 19th, 2009, after he was run over by a van.