Storm Ophelia inquest: Father of two killed when tree fell on his automotive ‘had not wanted to go to work’ throughout crimson climate alert

The inquest into the dying of a person who died after a tree fell on his automotive throughout Storm Ophelia in 2017, throughout a standing crimson climate warning, has returned a verdict of unintentional dying.

undalk Coroner’s Court was informed that “death was close to instant” when the tree fell on Fintan Goss’s automotive as he drove house on the afternoon of October 16.

The inquest heard the trunk of the big tree had fallen crushing the roof and he was pronounced useless on the scene.

Mr Goss (33), from Ballymakellett, Ravensdale, was married and had two kids together with his spouse Pamela. He labored at a monetary providers firm in Dundalk that was represented on the inquest.

The firm consultant informed the inquest that monetary providers are a important service and “the government had not issued specific directives for businesses to close”, on the day in query.

“Therefore the company continued to be legally obliged to fulfil its obligations. The company did not have work from home capabilities for all staff at the time,” Peter Callaghan, for SMT Fund Services mentioned.

He additionally mentioned: “Fintan was a supervisor and part of his role was to review and sign off on the valuations when they were completed which is why it was necessary for Fintan to be in work on the day in question.”

The inquest was informed by Hugh O’Keeffe, barrister for the Goss household, that Mr Goss had not wished to go to work that day. He additionally mentioned that designation as a important service was a “Covid designation.”

One of the primary gardaí on the scene at Annaskeagh, Ravensdale, mentioned the tree was so giant that slicing gear utilized by the hearth service was not appropriate and as a substitute Louth County Council assisted.

She mentioned the climate hindered efforts to take away the automobile, it was tough to face upright and it was difficult and horrifying and never secure for emergency providers to work on the time.

She additionally mentioned the automobile was tough to entry as a result of quantity and thickness of the branches and the load of the tree had deflated a again tyre.

Another Garda, who knew Mr Goss, recognized him because the deceased and the only real occupant of the automotive.

Pathologist Dr John Ryan mentioned Mr Goss suffered a extreme damage to the highest and the bottom of his cranium and there was an accompanying extreme mind damage that was incompatible with life.

He concluded dying was on account of a extreme head damage in line with a tree collapsing on his automotive, including: “I would say that death was close to instant.”

The coroner, Ronan Maguire, returned a verdict of unintentional dying and he expressed his “heartfelt sympathies” to Mr Goss’s household, saying: “He was a young man, bright, intelligent, hard working.”

Sympathies had been additionally expressed to his household on behalf of the corporate.

Speaking in 2017, his widow Pamela mentioned Fintan had texted her when he was leaving work and when he was not house quarter-hour later she mentioned she knew one thing had occurred.

In that interview she referred to as for clear, unambiguous tips to be introduced in in order that the following time there’s a Status Red climate alert that staff know to “stay at home.”

She had written to the Oireachtas members in county Louth saying a set of such binding guidelines would “remove the confusion for employers about whether staff need to come into work, or go home from work, during the height of the storm.”