Laurence Doherty told the inquest into his wife Nellie's death that she was one of the best people in the world. They had been together for 55 years but now he had "nothing to live for."

There were emotional scenes at Letterkenny Coroner's Court on Wednesday which heard that Ellen 'Nellie' Doherty died after she was struck by her husband's car.

The tragedy was all the more poignant as it happened after the devoted elderly couple had stopped to say a prayer at the spot where a young Strabane motorcyclist had lost his life days earlier.

Heartbroken Mr Doherty told the inquest how he gave his wife his rosary beads and tried to comfort her as she lay dying on the ground.
The tragic accident occurred at Barnesmore Gap on the main Ballybofey to Donegal Town road on Tuesday, June 13, 2006.

Mr and Mrs Doherty, from Derry Road in Strabane, had pulled into the side of the road to pay their respects at the scene of a traffic accident two days earlier in which a Strabane man had been killed.
Mrs Doherty (78) was fatally injured when her husband went to move his car to the other side of the road only to be in collision with another vehicle. His car was sent back across the road where it struck his wife, pinning her to the crash barrier.

Mrs Doherty was treated at the scene by a number of medical personnel who had come upon the accident. She was airlifted to Letterkenny General Hospital but subsequently died from her injuries.

The accident happened at Cashelnavean, Ballybofey at 6.40 pm. Garda Frank Lavin said Mr Doherty had been driving a silver Suzuki Ignis and was in collision with a gold Volkswagen Passat being driven towards Donegal Town by Patrick Herrity, Co. Meath. He said from his investigations at the scene, speed had not been a factor in the accident. "It was more of a glancing blow than an accident," he said.
Mr Herrity described how he had been driving at around 90 kph when he noticed a car parked on the hard shoulder on the opposite side of the road, facing towards Donegal Town.

He said the car came across the road, crossing the centre white line. He braked and tried to steer into the left as much as he could but the front driver's side of his car collided with the side of the other car. The impact forced the Suzuki car back over to the other side of the road where Mr. Herrity said it collided with a woman. He said he knew she was badly injured and he dialled 999 and requested an ambulance and the Gardai.

In his deposition, Mr Doherty said he and his wife had left Strabane at around 5.50pm to go to Mass in the Friary in Rossnowlagh. He told how they intended stopping at the scene of an accident at Barnesmore where a motorcyclist from Strabane, John Barr was killed two days earlier.

'Say a prayer'

"We planned to stop and say a prayer so I pulled over onto the hard shoulder on the right," he said. He described how he and his wife both got out of the car but he thought it would be safer to park his car on the other side of the road. He got back into his car and put on the hazard lights. When he went to move across the road, he looked in his rear view mirror and side mirrors but could see no traffic coming.

However, just as he moved off, he felt the collision and his car was thrown back across the road where it collided with his wife and the barrier. He said he had done everything in his power to get his car stopped before it struck his wife.

"Nellie was lying on the ground and I gave her my rosary beads," he said. "She asked me if her injuries were serious and I said she would be okay."
Evidence was also heard from Sinead Bonner who was part of the ambulance crew that attended the scene. She said Nellie was responsive and able to talk before she was airlifted to Letterkenny General. She believed Mrs. Doherty may have suffered a cardiac arrest in the helicopter.
Coroner Sean Cannon said the family had suffered a tragic loss. One could only be moved at the fact they had stopped on their journey and got out of their car to pay their respects to their neighbour. It was a tragic coincidence that Mrs Doherty had met her death during this moment of quiet respect, he said.
Mr Doherty thanked individually, all who had helped in the immediate aftermath of the accident. He also thanked the Gardai and in particular, Garda Sergeant Christie Galligan for his kindness at such a difficult time.