Buncrana Pier driver was ‘three times over the limit’, inquest hears

The post mortem of Sean McGrotty, the driver in the Buncrana pier tragedy, revealed that he was significantly over the drink driving limit.

Five people died after the car they were in ruled off the pier and into the water off the Donegal village in March 2016. An inquest is taking place today into the deaths. According to a report by Highland Radio, the inquest has heard that pathologist Dr Catriona Dillon found 159 milligrams per decimetre of alcohol in McGrotty's bloodstream. The legal drink driving limit is 50 milligrams, meaning that Mr McGrotty was more than three times over the legal limit. Mr. McGrotty and his two sons Mark and Evan died as a result of the incident, as did Mr. McGrotty's mother-in-law Ruth, and Ruth's daughter Jodie. They drowned in March of last year after the car, which Mr McGrotty was behind the wheel, entered the water at Buncrana Pier. Dr. Dillon told coroner Dr Denis McCauley that she could not say whether Mr McGrotty's state would have impaired his driving, noting that such a determination would depend on several other factors of which she was not aware — such as Mr McGrotty's drinking habits. Meanwhile, Davitt Walsh, who swam out and managed to rescue a baby from the car before it was fully submerged has said that he almost git another child out of the car. He told the inquest that the child's foot got caught just seconds before the car went under the water.