The inquest into the deaths of two women who were struck by a car while crossing the N2 in Co Louth earlier this year has heard they died instantly.
Josephine Duff, 78, from Kells Road, Ardee and Kathy McDonald, 70, Drogheda Road, Ardee were first cousins and "great friends", Drogheda Coroner's Court heard this afternoon.
They had disembarked from a bus on the northbound lane of the road and were hit by a car on the southbound lane outside the Hunterstown Inn at about 6.15pm.
A GP pronounced both women dead at the scene at Hunterstown, south of Ardee on 16 January this year.
The inquest heard that Ms McDonald had a hospital appointment that day and Ms Duff had accompanied her to it.
Pathologist Dr Jane Thorne, who performed post mortem examinations on both women, said that death would have been instantaneous.
She said Ms Duff’s death was caused by her aorta being transected which was “a catastrophic” injury.
She found that Ms McDonald’s death was due to severe traumatic head injuries.
In reply to Coroner Ronan Maguire, Dr Thorne said neither women would have felt anything and death was instantaneous.
Mr Maguire said that he was adjourning the inquests at the request of the gardaí who are preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
