Driver whose car crossed road killing young Offaly man wanted to 'kill himself'

THE driver of a car which crossed to the incorrect side of the road resulting in a death of an Offaly 19-year-old in an oncoming vehicle told a paramedic he wanted to kill himself, an inquest heard today (Friday, September 9).

John Gorman, Walsh Island, died on December 29, 2015 when his car was struck by a Volvo driven by Dariusz Alchimionek (48), Barrow Way, Spa Street, Portarlington at Ballycrystal, Geashill.

An inquest into Mr Gorman's death is taking place at the Coroner's Court in Tullamore today nearly seven years after the fatal collision.

Mr Alchimionek had previously been found guilty in a Circuit Court jury trial of manslaughter but that verdict was quashed by the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal heard that the judge in the trial, Judge Keenan Johnson, had told the jury that a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity would be the logical one.

Offaly coroner, Raymond Mahon, told members of the Gorman family that the inquest had been further delayed by Covid-19 restrictions.

The inquest was told that Mr Gorman was driving from Tullamore in the direction of Portarlington with his 16-year-old brother Adam on the afternoon of the collision.

Mr Alchimionek, who had told his family he was going to a nearby bottle bank, was coming in the opposite direction and suddenly crossed a continuous white line in his Volvo, striking Mr Gorman's Opel Corsa on its front and driver's side.

The Volvo then spun on the road and was hit by a third vehicle.

The driver of the third vehicle, Karl Molloy, told the inquest he was behind a Volvo earlier and it appeared to be driving normally but then took a sudden jerk to the right giving the oncoming car no chance to take evasive action.

Mr Gorman was pronounced dead at the scene and Dr Miriam Walsh, pathologist, who carried out a post mortem at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, gave evidence that the victim's death was caused by cranial and abdominal trauma secondary to a road traffic collision.

Dr Walsh said there were multiple severe injuries to the head and chest. “Death would have been pretty instantaneous at the time and completely unsurvivable,” she said.

Dr Walsh said tests showed no evidence of alcohol or drugs being present in Mr Gorman's system.

A paramedic who responded to the emergency, Mateusz Musialski, said he spoke to a man beside one of the crashed cars and had a conversation with him in Polish when he realised he spoke that language.

Mr Musialski said the man gave his name as Dariusz Alchimionek and heard him say twice “I tried to kill myself” but when a doctor asked him about that in the hospital he said “No”.

Sile Geraghty, a nurse who spoke to Mr Alchimionek in the hospital said the man said to her “My brain is sick”.

Adam Gorman, who was with his brother John Gorman in the car, said he could not remember the accident itself but recalled that John was a very careful driver, had his two hands on the wheel and always insisted on seat belts being on before driving.

Maria O'Brien, who came on the scene of the collision, said she got a "stale smell of alcohol" from Mr Alchimionek when she spoke to him at the roadside.

A statement from Mr Alchimionek's wife Katarzyna, who was summonsed to the inquest but did not appear this morning, referred to her husband having been watching movies about Isis in the period before the accident.

He feared that somebody was going to come to Ireland and bring himself and his family back to their home country of Poland to fight Isis.

Gerard Colleran, BL, who appeared for the Gorman family, told the inquest it was very unsatisfactory that Ms Alchimionek was not present.

The gardai were making efforts to contact her, the inquest heard and she had earlier indicated she would be attending.

The coroner was also told that Mr Alchimionek was not present for medical reasons.

Garda Thomas Brennan, forensic collision investigator, said there was no reasonable or legal excuse for the Volvo to cross the continuous white line to the incorrect lane.

One of the rear tyres on the Volvo was so under inflated as to be "almost flat" but that did not categorically explain the collision.

The inquest is continuing this afternoon.