Rally driver died after car veered off track and 'flipped over' into water, inquest hears
An inquest into the death of a 22-year-old rally driver, Eoin McCarthy, revealed that his car veered off a track and submerged in a flooded stream during a 2022 event. The navigator testified about his failed attempts to rescue McCarthy from the vehicle.
Why it matters
The inquest highlights safety concerns in motorsports and the tragic reality of accidents during competitive racing.
THE FAMILY OF a young man who died when the car he was driving veered off a track at a forest rally and overturned into a flooded stream have thanked the navigator of the vehicle for his repeated attempts to save the life of their loved one.
An inquest at Cork Coroner’s Court heard that co-driver and navigator Daniel O’Brien made several bids to free a trapped Eoin McCarthy from the Honda Civic car in the wake of the accident at the Killarney Forestry Rally on 20 February 2022.
Mr O’Brien told the inquest that he had struggled to assist Mr McCarthy as “the water was brown like oxtail soup… you could not see your hand in front of your face.”
The accident occurred at Stage 4 of the rally as the car drove towards a narrow bridge with no railings.
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