A5 crash man had heart episode caused by cocaine

A man killed in a crash on the A5 road in County Tyrone last year had suffered a cardiac episode caused by “excessive use of cocaine”, an inquest has heard.

Caolan Devlin was 30 when he died in March 2024 in the crash on the Curr Road, between Omagh and Ballygawley.

Mr Devlin was the only occupant of a car that collided with a lorry and was pronounced dead at the scene.

An inquest into his death was held at the Coroner’s Court sitting at Omagh courthouse on Monday.

“In terms of the cause of the collision I am satisfied that while behind the wheel of his vehicle Mr Devlin suffered some sort of cardiac arrythmia caused by excessive use of cocaine,” the coroner told the inquest.

“I could find no defect with the road or with the heavy goods vehicle which caused or contributed to the death.”

Cardiac arrythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, occurs when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular rhythm.

A post mortem examination into Mr Devlin’s death found that, as cocaine is quickly broken down by the body, its presence in his bloodstream indicated recent use.

It also found that the concentration of the metabolite benzoylecgonine – which is what the drug breaks down to – indicated excessive use.

The pathologist told the inquest that cocaine can precipitate collapse and or death commonly from a disturbance in the heart rhythm or seizure.

While alcohol was also found Mr Devlin’s bloodstream, the concentration was 40milligrams per 100ml – half the legal limit for driving.

The 30-year-old, who was the brother of Tyrone GAA player Niall Devlin, suffered multiple severe injuries in the crash that would have caused rapid death.