A jury at the inquest into the death of an 18-year-old woman, who died in a traffic collision in 2015, has returned a verdict of accidental death.
Melissa Patterson was killed when she was hit by a car while walking on the N60 near Breaffy outside Castlebar. An 84-year-old woman is serving a two year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death.Today’s inquest at Castlebar Coroner’s Court heard evidence about the extent of the injuries Ms Patterson suffered as well as testimony from the motorist Mary O’Malley.
She expressed her “distress” and “heartbreak” and told the Coroner for Mayo, Patrick O’Connor that she thinks and prays every day for Melissa Patterson’s mother, her twin sister, and her other siblings.
In a statement issued by their solicitor after the inquest, the family expressed hope that their loss would lead road users to exercise heightened vigilance towards pedestrians.