Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas was conscious for 17 minutes in water, inquest hears
Marine expert Michael Kingston, with Caitriona Lucas's daughter and husband, Emma and Bernard Lucas, at Kilmallock Courthouse for the inquest into her death. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
An inquest into the death of Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas has heard drone footage from the scene showed she was conscious in the water for 17 minutes after being catapulted into the water.
The inquest into the 41-year-old Ballyvaughan woman’s death continued at Limerick Coroner’s Court, sitting in Kilmallock, on Tuesday.
Ms Lucas, who was the mother of two children and worked as a librarian, died on September 12, 2016, becoming the first Coastguard volunteer to die on duty.
She had been a member of Doolin Coastguard for a decade and was taking part in a search for a missing man when a massive wave capsized the boat she and colleagues Jenny Carway and James Lucey were in, in Lookout Bay. All three were cast into the water.
The jury heard on Tuesday there was no official Coastguard vessel at the scene off the west Clare coast until the arrival of Coastguard R115 at 1.38pm — about 20 minutes after the Mayday call was made at 1.11pm.
Ms Lucas was taken from the water at 1.41pm.
Drone footage from the scene taken by Stephen Hayes of Clare Civil Defence showed Ms Lucas was conscious for 17 minutes after the Mayday call was made.
However, she was pronounced dead on arrival at University Hospital Limerick.
The jury also heard Ms Lucas was responding to the missing persons search because of a shortage of volunteers at the Kilkee unit. This was an issue which had been raised by volunteers at a meeting with Coastguard management three days earlier, according to volunteer Gary Kiely in his evidence to the hearing.
The inquest heard members of the Kilkee unit travelled in a civilian rib to the scene where the rib had capsized — even though the Coastguard’s dedicated rescue vessel was tied up at the Kilkee base. That vessel was launched later in the operation.
Ms Carway was taken on board the civilian rib in which a member of the Kilkee unit had travelled to the scene. The rib brought Ms Carway back to shore before being removed to University Hospital Limerick.
Meanwhile, Rescue 115 arrived on the scene and lifted Ms Lucas from the water and brought her on shore, where paramedics tended to her. Her husband Bernard had arrived by then and Ms Lucas was airlifted to UHL.
When the third occupant of the boat, James Lucey, was plucked from the sea by a rescue helicopter, he was also transferred to hospital, but was not deemed to be in danger.
Kilkee Coastguard unit member Tony Vaughan said he travelled to a cliff above the accident site.
The court heard Mr Vaughan’s position as officer in charge of the Kilkee Unit had expired at midnight the previous night.
He said: “I could see the heels of Caitriona’s welly boots and I could hear Jenny screaming but I could not see James.” He instructed Stephen Hayes to take drone footage from the scene and James was located on a ledge.
Mr Vaughan said he put in a call to Valentia Coastguard asking them to “throw everything at this”.
He told the coroners court that he could not answer why the dedicated rescue vessel was not launched when the Mayday call was made.
Another volunteer, Chris Kearns, said he was shocked when he became aware of an appendix to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board’s report on the incident, which contained recommendations made over a year and a half earlier for operating in surf waters. Those recommendations followed a capsizing off the coast of Dingle.
He conducted the monthly safety check of the vessel just three days before the incident.
The inquest continues on Wednesday.
