Inquest hears woman died from shock day after husband found dead on motorway

A 36-year-old woman died from shock the day after her husband died in a road incident on the M1 motorway in April last year, an inquest in Navan was told today.

The body of 34-year-old Loyal Sequeira originally from Mangalore, India but with an address at Knights Wood. Legavooren, Drogheda was found lying on the M1 motorway on the 15th April last year. His wife Sharon died from shock the following day. The couple had settled in Ireland from India and were married in 2016.

Mr Sequeira’s death occurred in the early hours of the morning on the southbound section of the motorway near the exit ramp south of Drogheda.

A driver told the inquest that he was travelling from his workplace in Donore and had entered the motorway to drive to his home in Greystones and saw a silver car pulled over on the hard shoulder.

There was no motorway lighting in that area. He then saw a dark object on the motorway and drove over it. There was nothing he could do to avoid the object he said.

He went back and discovered a body on the motorway and parked his vehicle so as to protect the body from other vehicles.

Sergeant Mark Doran gave evidence of having investigated the accident and was provided with footage from CCTV on the motorway and was able to identify a number of vehicles that had passed near the scene of the accident.

Consultant pathologist Dr Muna Sabah gave evidence of having carried out a post mortem on the body of the deceased whom, she concluded, had died from cranial and multi-organ injuries. The blood-alcohol level was 205 per cent, she said. Co Meath

Coroner Nathaniel Lacy, who conducted the inquest at Navan Courthouse, was told that Mr Sequeira had been upset and had indicated that he would take his own life.

He recorded a verdict of suicide.

The families of Mr and Mrs Sequeira were not present at the inquest but Mr Lacy and Garda Inspector Joseph Finnegan extended their condolences to them on their tragic losses.