A family claims their nine-year quest for answers about their father’s death in an ambulance fire has been met with “silence”, “evasion” and “institutional indifference”.
“Something went catastrophically wrong, and no one has taken responsibility,” the family of Christopher Byrne said.
They expressed grief, anger and frustration when speaking to The Irish Times following another adjournment of an inquest into Mr Byrne’s death.
A widower and father of five from Suncroft, near Naas, Mr Byrne (79) died, and two paramedics were injured, when an ambulance in which he was a patient burst into flames shortly after arriving outside the emergency department at Naas General Hospital on September 22nd, 2016.
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It is understood the fire started after an oxygen cylinder in the vehicle ignited.
Mr Byrne, who had recovered from cancer, was being taken to hospital for respiratory difficulties as a result of an infection.
The inquest into his death was put on hold in 2017 pending an investigation by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the State entity responsible for enforcing health and safety in the workplace.
A criminal prosecution against the HSE by the HSA was listed for January 29th, 2025 but, two days before that, Mr Byrne’s children (Thomas, Lil, Francis, Christopher and Sarah) were informed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was withdrawing the case.
The inquest was then listed to proceed last month but was adjourned at the request of all parties after issues were raised about disclosure of documents.
Kildare county coroner Loretta Nolan criticised the HSA over delays in providing information and over the adequacy of its summary report about Mr Byrne’s death, describing it as “a very small report after a long investigation”.
Her predecessor as coroner, Denis Cusack, previously raised concerns about delays in receiving reports, particularly from the HSA. Its report landed last June, and Dr Nolan said she had to direct the authority to produce additional documents and exhibits, which she received just a week before the inquest date.
She adjourned the inquest after lawyers for the family and other parties sought time to examine all relevant material and to identify necessary witnesses.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Byrne’s family following the adjournment, his son-in-law Michael Davis said they have “endured nine years of grief, silence and unanswered questions”.
The ambulance fire and explosion that killed Mr Byrne was “an event so violent and so preventable that it should have triggered immediate accountability and reform” but was instead met “with institutional indifference”, he said.
“For nearly a decade, we have sought truth and compassion from the HSE, Health and Safety Authority, Health Products Regulatory Authority, BOC Gases, the ambulance service, and every investigative body involved,” he said.
Their efforts were met with “silence”, “evasion” and “delay”.
The DPP informed the family last January there would be no case to answer, as the labelling on the oxygen cylinders was deemed up to standard and in date, he said. “While we accept the legal conclusion, it does not erase the deeper truth: something went catastrophically wrong, and no one has taken responsibility.”
Their legal team got just three weeks’ notice of the inquest hearing, he said.
The coroner initially decided to proceed with the inquest but then had to adjourn for reasons including failure to produce some documents and delays in providing others.
Mr Byrne was “deeply loved” and his death was “not just a tragedy, it was a systemic failure” that was “compounded by the refusal of those responsible to face us, to explain, to acknowledge”, Mr Davis said.
The impact on the family is “immeasurable”, he said. “We live with trauma, with the haunting image of how he died, and with the knowledge that no one has stood up to say: ‘This was wrong.’ We have buried Christopher, but not our questions.”
The family, he stressed, is not seeking to assign blame but “to demand recognition that Christopher’s life mattered”.
His family “deserves more than silence”, he said. They want their statement to be “a turning point”, not just for them but for other families waiting for answers now and in the future. “Because this can happen again.”
In a response to the family’s statement, the HSA said its investigation into the tragic death of Mr Byrne “was conducted thoroughly, independently, and in accordance with the highest of legal and ethical standards”.
“While we cannot comment further, we wish to reaffirm that every action taken was guided by a commitment to transparency, due process, and respect for all those affected,” it said.
The HSE said the issues were a matter for the HSA and the coroner.
