Driver of jeep that slid into Irish Sea died of misadventure, inquest rules

The driver of a jeep that slid off a pier and into an Irish lough killing him and four of his family died from misadventure, an inquest has found.

Sean McGrotty was over the drink-drive limit when his Audi 4x4 slid down Buncrana pier into Lough Swilly in County Donegal in the Irish Republic. At the time of the accident, in March 2016, the pier was said to be “slippery as ice” due to a covering of thick algae.

The 49-year-old drowned alongside his sons Evan McGrotty, eight, and 12-year-old Mark, his partner’s 14-year-old sister, Jodie Lee Daniels, and her mother, Ruth Daniels, 59.

His four-month-old baby, Rioghnach-Ann, was saved by former footballer Davitt Walsh who dived into the water after hearing the cries of the children and pleas for help from their father.

At the second and final day of the inquest, the jury foreman said in relation to Sean McGrotty’s death: “The finding was that death was due to drowning. Cause of death was death by misadventure.”

The inquest at the Lake of Shadows hotel in Buncrana heard on Wednesday that McGrotty may have been three times over the drink-drive limit.

A postmortem found he had 159 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, when the drink-drive limit in Ireland is 50.

On the first day of the inquest, Dr Catriona Dillon, the coroner who carried out the postmortem, said the alcohol reading in McGrotty’s blood “may indicate a level of intoxication”.

His partner, Louise James, was returning from a weekend hen party in Liverpool when she learned about the deaths.

Earlier on Thursday an RNLI crew member involved in trying to save the family said there had been similar incidents at the pier over the last two decades.

John O’Raw said: “I am personally aware probably of three incidents over a 17-year career.”

The RNLI volunteer diver said he reached the sinking jeep about 40 minutes after emergency services were called. But O’Raw said he had trouble getting inside the vehicle.

“I tried the rear driver’s side door, and then tried the front driver’s door but neither would open. The driver’s window was half intact and was bowed facing inwards, into the car.

“I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. The tailgate at the back of the vehicle was open.”

The most harrowing testimony came in a statement from Walsh. He was later awarded a medal for bravery after saving the baby but was unable to save others.

He said he heard screaming and shouting coming from the jeep: “I saw the driver trying to break the car window with his elbow, he broke the window.

“I said to him: ‘Everyone needs to get out now.’ The father passed the baby out the window, he sat on the ledge with his hands on the roof – I had to reach up to get the baby.”

Louise James, speaking through her solicitor, said: “I firmly believe the slipway should have been closed to the public or else proper warning signs displayed. It was an accident waiting to happen. Hopefully lessons will be learned and recommendations implemented.

“Finally regarding Sean, not withstanding the evidence that has emerged, he was a wonderful partner to me and an adoring father to his children.”
In the statement read out by her lawyer, she added: “And as it has emerged from this inquest, he died as he lived – he could have saved himself and chose not to.”