Road 'perfectly fit', inquest told

A consultant engineer told an inquest in Castlebar yesterday the N59 road at Mulranny, Co Mayo was “perfectly fit to be open …

A consultant engineer told an inquest in Castlebar yesterday the N59 road at Mulranny, Co Mayo was "perfectly fit to be open to traffic" on the day a female motorist was killed there, writes TOM SHIEL.

Ashling Gallagher (22), Bunnacurry, Achill Island, died on December 22nd, 2004, when her van “inexplicably” swerved into the path of a cement lorry. She was killed instantly.

On the fifth day yesterday of the inquest into her death, consultant engineer Joe Sullivan, who carried out tests, said the road surface offered good skid resistance at the time of the incident.

Earlier this week, other experts told the hearing, being conducted by south Mayo coroner John O’Dwyer, that the road should not have been open at the time of the incident. The inquest resumes at 10am on Monday.