The Coroner for Mayo has again called for anti-roll bars to be fitted to all quad bikes after hearing evidence at an inquest today into the death of an 86-year-old U.S. citizen on Achill Island, last June.
Michael J. (Mike) Gallagher, Sausalito, California, died from multiple injuries after his quad bike entered a drain on the approach road to Purteen Harbour on June 30th last.
Mr. Gallagher had been visiting relatives in Achill and was on his way to the harbour to participate with friends in a sea angling expedition when the quad machine he was riding toppled over.
On his final day today as Coroner for the District of Mayo, prior to his retirement, Pat O’Connor said that unfortunately during his time as a coroner there had been a number of fatalities involving quad bikes. He added that in most cases the bikes involved had not been fitted with anti-roll bars.
“The manufacturers should be fitting anti-roll bars as I recommended previously”, the coroner stated. “I do believe these deaths could have been avoided”.
Mr. O’Connor said his previous recommendation that anti-roll bars should be compulsory on all quad bikes had met considerable opposition in Australia when his views were publicised there. He maintained: “The number of quad bike injuries and deaths could be reduced if there was a stringent ant-roll bar requirement”.
The inquest into Mr. Gallagher’s death was opened and adjourned by the coroner today.
The substantive inquest hearing, when further evidence will be given and a verdict returned, was adjourned to a later date.
Coroner O’Connor commented today that Mr. Gallagher was “obviously a great character”. At the time of Mr. Gallagher’s death his family in California described him as “passionate for food, wine, the sea and people to share it with”,
The deceased had lived a “life full of cinematic adventure”, his death notice in the San Francisco Chronicle read and, at the time of his death, was en route to “another fishing excursion”.
Mr. Gallagher was pronounced dead on the roadside at Purteen, Achill, following failed attempts to save him.
