Man who saved daughter’s life died in crash, inquest hears

A father who saved his daughter’s life by pushing her out of the path of a car that then struck him died of head and neck injuries, an inquest has heard.

Martin Finn (60) from Gurteen, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 died on January 17th last.

He was out feeding horses with his daughter when he was hit by a car at Newcastle Road in Clondalkin.

At an inquest opened into his death at Dublin Coroner’s Court, his wife Carol Hall-Finn said she formally identified her husband’s body to a garda following his death.

Garda Paul Burke of the Garda Traffic Division at Dublin Castle formally identified the remains before a postmortem performed by Dr Stephen Crowther at Tallaght hospital.

In his autopsy report, the pathologist gave the cause of death as head and neck injuries due to a road traffic incident.

Inspector Andy Tuite applied for an adjournment under section 25.1 of the Coroner’s Act as a Garda investigation is continuing.

Insp Tuite said criminal proceedings are being contemplated and gardaí are awaiting the completion of a forensic collision report into the incident.

Speaking after her husband’s death, Mrs Hall-Finn said her teenage daughter Abbie, who was injured in the incident, said her father had pushed her out of the way of the oncoming car before he was struck.

Mrs Hall-Finn had been waiting nearby in her parked car. Her husband and daughter were making their way back to the car when the incident happened.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane adjourned the inquest until November 16th.