The inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy who died when the car he was driving crashed in Co Donegal just over two years ago, has heard that his mother found him at the scene of the crash.
Jamie Doherty died on 8 June 2018 when the Renault Clio he was driving crashed on what was described as a bog road near Moville.
His mother, Evelyn Doherty, told the inquest into his death at Letterkenny Courthouse that Jamie was at his grandparent's house while she brought her other two sons swimming.
When she went to collect him, her mother told her that Jamie had gone to his girlfriend's house in the car.
Mrs Doherty said she was not happy about this and sent him a message, but he did not reply. She said he was not allowed on the public road in the car, but he was allowed to drive on the farm lane.
She said he never disobeyed her and she knew there was something wrong.
It emerged that Jamie had not been to his girlfriend's house and Mrs Doherty and other family members went looking for him.
She said she turned off the main road at Tullyalley and saw a car on the road and realised it was the underneath of it which was facing her. As she got closer, she could see Jamie's legs and feet.
She jumped out of her car and ran towards the car but she "knew he was gone".
"My best friend was dead under the car," she said.
She said she dialled 999 and also phoned her husband Shane, who started screaming and roaring.
Jamie was our eldest son, she said, the love of our lives, we could rely on him for anything and he would have grown up to be a fine young man.
Retired garda Seamus Lyons said the road on which the accident occurred was mainly a bog road, a shortcut between two townlands. If you had a good car you would not go on it, he said.
A garda forensic examination concluded that the collision occurred between 4.55pm and 6pm on 8 June 2018, with the car hitting a ditch and flipping over.
The weather was not a contributing factor, but the condition of the road and driver error, including speed and inexperience, were major factors.
Coroner Dr Denis McCauley said it was a terrible accident.
He said Jamie took a car he really was not allowed to take, so it was misadventure, but this, he said, was not a judgement on Jamie, who was adored by his family.
He seemed to be a lovely character, the coroner said, he just took a chance on that day, hoping to be back before his mother came to collect him, and it resulted in this terrible tragedy.
