A man who died when the car he was sitting in burst into flames might have survived had the gardaí arrived more promptly at the scene, neighbours of the deceased man claimed at an inquest yesterday.
Dermot Hunt (45), Woodbine Road, Raheny, Dublin, died on February 10th last year from burns and inhalation of smoke and gases when the silver Mitsubishi Colt in which he was sitting became engulfed in flames, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard.
A neighbour of Mr Hunt, Annamarie Prew, told the inquest that she contacted Raheny and Coolock Garda stations after she was awoken by loud music coming from the Hunt family home at approximately 3am.
Shortly afterwards the deceased, Dermot Hunt, emerged from the house, got into the car and began to rev the engine.
"Within a few seconds the smoke turned to flames. I could see the shape of a person in the driver's seat. I rang the guards at 4.25am and told them a man was burning in the car because they hadn't sent someone," Ms Prew told the inquest. Her sister, Jackie Prew, said: "We are very disappointed the guards didn't arrive. If they had arrived they would have got him out of the car."
Garda Ian Darcy of Coolock Garda station, said the person who had taken the details at the station had recorded the house number as 92 rather than 68 and on finding no disturbance there, had left. Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said he would write to Garda control headquarters on the matter.