Three young men from Clondalkin, Co Dublin, died when a car plunged into the Grand Canal at Griffith Bridge, Inchicore, early on New Year's Day, an inquest into their deaths heard yesterday.
Mr Christopher McHugh (21) and Emmet Finn (17) both died of drowning following on severe multiple injuries, Dublin City Coroner's Court was told. Alan Finn (15) died of multiple injuries, including traumatic rupture of his heart.
A routine toxicology screening showed all three victims had taken alcohol above the legal limit for driving, but no evidence of any drug use was found.
A fourth man, Mr Daniel Garland, who was taken alive from the car, said it skidded after the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid two people who stepped out on the road.