Ballybogey Road crash driver had overdosed
Thursday, 2 October 2008
A DRIVER who crossed the central divide on a notorious stretch of the Ballybogey Road, killing himself and a couple travelling in the opposite direction, had overdosed on anti-anxiety drugs and painkillers.
An inquest into the accident which occurred in October 2006, heard Mathew Charles McCartan's ability to drive would have been seriously impaired.
Lynda Georgina Hunter (32) and her partner Jason Worthington (38), both from Whitehead, who were travelling towards Ballymoney, died instantly when their Renault Clio was struck by Mr McCartan's BMW.
During the hearing in Belfast last week, a toxicology expert told the Coroner 42-year-old Mr McCartan, from Newtownards, had up to five times the recommended amount of the anti-anxiety drug Alprozolam and three times the limit of the painkiller Tranadol in his system.
Professor Alexander Forrest said the drugs would have seriously impaired the former salesman's ability to control his vehicle.
“There would have been drowsiness, disinhibition, impairment of judgement, both in terms of ability to correctly read and act upon information and the ability to judge speed, direction and time," he said.
He added: "Concentrations of Alprozolam and Tranado are unlikely to have been given to him in the course of his care after the crash."
Although there were no witnesses to the crash, Jean Crossan said a car similar to Mr McCartan's BMW was being driven erratically on the road between Ballymoney and Portrush at around the same time.
An expert in car accidents from Forensic Science Northern Ireland told the inquest he believed the BMW had crossed into the path of the couple's car.
“My interpretation of the scene would indicate that the vehicles were substantially aligned at the time of impact and this would indicate that the BMW had not been steered suddenly or abruptly to the right, that it moved over gradually," said Emmerson Callender.
He added that he could find no reason why the car was in the wrong lane at the time of impact.
Mr McCartan, a single man from Scrabo Road, Newtownards, was described as "a loner" by a friend.
Robert Cole who knew him for 14 years said he was in constant pain and had been declared physically disabled after five motorcycle accidents.
Mr Cole also told the inquest his friend was seriously depressed and took a lot of medication for chronic pain.
Mr Worthington and Ms Hunter, both form Whitehead, died instantly at the scene while Mr McCartan died the next day at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.
After the hearing, Norman Worthington expressed anger at losing his son. "I don't think he should have been driving," he said.
Coroner, Suzanne Anderson recorded that Mr McCartan had crossed the central divide, colliding with the Renault Clio and that his ability to drive had been seriously impaired due to the amount of drugs in his body.
