Man and his daughter struck by 4x4 after going to feed horses, inquest hears

A daughter survived an accident that claimed her father’s life after both were struck by a passing 4x4, an inquest has heard.

Abbie Hall Finn was thrown into the ditch by the impact. Her father Martin Finn (60) suffered fatal injuries at the 12th Lock, Newcastle Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on January 17th, 2017.

The pair were returning to their car after feeding horses along a dark, country road when they were struck shortly before 9pm.

The jury at an inquest into Mr Finn’s death returned a verdict of accidental death.

He was thrown almost 20 metres after he was struck by the front passenger side headlight of a Range Rover, which was travelling in the same direction as the two pedestrians.

Dublin Coroner's Court Mr Finn asked his wife Carol Hall Finn to drop him up to feed the horses at 7.30pm that evening. Their daughter Abbie came to help and her son also travelled in the car.

They were returning to the parked car, a few hundred metres from the yard at 8.45pm when they were struck.

“I got a text from Abbie asking where I was and I replied. Not five minutes later there was a knock on my window,” Mrs Hall Finn said.

Dark clothing

She ran toward the scene and saw her husband on the ground. Abbie was lying further up the road.

Abbie Hall Finn said her father always wore a high-visibility vest but not that night. “We were both dressed in dark clothing,” she said.

They were walking single file and chatting when she felt a bang.

“I felt like I was doing a flip in the air and I remember hitting the ground. I remember calling out for my Da,” she said.

The driver of the Range Rover was travelling south towards Newcastle. “I thought I saw a shadow, then there was a thud. It was instantaneous,” he said.

Mr Finn was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of death was multiple injuries sustained in a road traffic collision. The post-mortem confirmed Mr Finn was wearing a head lamp at the time but no reflective clothing.

Public Service Vehicle Inspector David O’Brien said the accident happened in “complete darkness.”

“The driver was not given any advance warning of the two pedestrians on the road. It was dark, they were not illuminated and he did not have sufficient time to react,” he said.

The road has subsequently been altered and the bridge and traffic lights close to the scene no longer exist.