A defective car bought for just €150 plunged off a Connemara pier leading to the deaths of two men, an inquest head yesterday.
The two men were over the drink-driving limit, and a third man, who had drunk very little, managed to escape the sinking car.
The inquests in Galway investigated the deaths of Latvian Yanis Teibe (36 ) and his friend, Andriejuas Chitrovas (39 ) from Lithuania who died after the car plunged into Rossaveal Harbour last December.
Both were fishermen. Another fisherman, Vygantas Baveikis, also Lithuatian, in a deposition read to the inquest in Galway, said that he was with his two friends and another acquaintance in Longford on the first weekend of December.
Mr Teibe bought a 1994 Ford Mondeo from the acquaintance for €150 and asked Mr Baveikis to drive it to Rossaveal as he was uncomfortable driving the large car.
Mr Baveikis revealed that he drove Mr Chivrotas back to Galway, while Mr Teibe drove home in a Ford Fiesta.
However Mr Chitrovas drank about a third of bottle of vodka on the return journey. When he and Mr Baveikis arrived in Galway they waited for Mr Teibe and went to Carrore to buy more drink and food before Mr Teibe drove on to Rossaveal.
However when they went into Rossaveal Mr Teibe lost control of the car; it hit a barrier and nose-dived into the water.
Mr Baveidis remained calm, waited for the car to fill up with water before opening the door and swimming to the surface. He couldn’t find his friends and raised the alarm.
The car was later found upside down with the two bodies inside.
Garda Brendan Mee told the inquest that the car was defective and should not have been on the road.
Coroner Dr Ciaran McLoughlin recorded a verdict of death by drowning to complete the inquest.
