Cork coroner makes 16 recommendations at inquest into death of rally driver

The Cork City coroner has made 16 recommendations following the recent inquest into the death of 22-year-old Eoin McCarthy, who died following an accident during the Castleisland-based Killarney Forest Rally in February 2022.

Mr McCarthy, from Dunmanway, Co Cork, was driving a Honda Civic — co-driven with Daniel O'Brien — in what was only his second ever rally, when the car slid off an unrailed bridge at slow speed and ended up on its roof in a heavily flooded stream on the stage at Mount Eagle.

Mr McCarthy was pronounced dead at Cork University Hospital later that evening.

The medical cause of death was recorded as hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (a type of brain dysfunction) due to cardiac arrest following submersion in water in a suspended state.

At the conclusion of the four-day inquest earlier this month, coroner Philip Comyn returned a verdict of accidental death.

He issued his recommendations on Wednesday morning.

The Echo understands that legal representatives for Mr McCarthy's family have asked Mr Comyn to investigate how the recommendations were posted on social media on Tuesday before the family had been notified.

Motorsport Ireland and their legal representatives also had no sight of the recommendations prior to being posted online.

Mr Comyn's prefaced his recommendations by stating he was conscious they arise from a tragic accident that occurred in 2022 and some of them may already have been implemented or be in the course of implementation.

Coroner recommendations

The coroner recommended there should be clear protocol or written guidelines setting out the role and duties of all those involved in the organisation and running of a rally, whether it be a forest rally or a rally on tarmac. This includes officials and volunteers from Motorsport Ireland and the club hosting the event.

Several of the recommendations centred on the safety statement that should be furnished to, and acknowledged by, all involved in the organisation and running of a rally.

They include:

Specifically record all rally stage locations where there is no mobile phone coverage and the steps taken to improve the situation;

 - Record all locations of particular concern and all steps taken to lessen the risks identified at those locations.

 - Any changes made at the start or between loops are to be properly recorded, together with notifying officials of potential dangers or hazards.

 - During the inquest, the court heard that there was a lack of proper communication, especially within the tracking room.

The coroner has recommended that the roles of all those in the control room are clearly defined along with the chain of command and who can make what decisions.