A motorcycle holiday in Ireland ended in death for an Italian couple on their last day here when they were fatally injured while overtaking a lorry on their way to catch a ferry in Rosslare, Co Wexford, an inquest heard yesterday.
Paolo Favera (29) and his girlfriend Laura Gibelli (32) were fatally hurt when their 750 cc motorcycle struck a lorry turning off the main Cork-Rosslare Road at Castleredmond just outside Midleton, Co Cork, on August 22nd last.
Yesterday an inquest in Midleton heard Mr Favera, from Via Bainsizza, Turin, died at the scene while Ms Gibelli from Via Luini, Turin, died some hours later at Cork University Hospital.
The lorry driver, Mr John Sheehan from Clonmult, Dungourney, Co Cork, told the inquest he checked to see the road was clear both ahead and behind after he indicated to turn off to a side road on his right.
"I was clear off the main road when I looked in the right-hand mirror and saw a bike jumping up the side of the lorry," said Mr Sheehan. He stopped immediately and found Mr Favera screaming near the bike. He then heard other screams and went around the other side of the truck where he found Ms Gibelli. She was between the rear wheels.
The jury returned verdicts that death in both cases was due to the injuries sustained in the road traffic accident and South Cork Coroner, Frank O'Connell said it was implicit from the verdicts that both deaths were accidental.
Both Mr O'Connell and Supt Dan Mullins expressed their sympathies to the families of the deceased and Mr O'Connell also sympathised with Mr Sheehan on the trauma he had suffered as a result of his blameless involvement in the accident.