AN Enniskillen man has described how he and a neighbour tried in vain to save a motorcyclist’s life.

Neil McGahey rushed to the scene of a road traffic accident that took place last Friday night, November 8, around 9.35pm at the Drumgallon section of the Derrylin Road.

The crash involved a Honda CBF 600 motorcycle and a black Audi A4 car.

Despite the desperate efforts of Neil and his neighbour Denise – both of whom are trained in first-aid – and the paramedics from the ambulance service, the motorcyclist died from his injuries.

Roads Inspector, Cherith Adair, from the Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Shortly after 9.35pm police received a report of a two-vehicle road traffic collision involving a black Audi A4 and a Honda CBF 600 motorcycle on the Derrylin Road, Enniskillen.

Officers along with colleagues from partner emergency services attended but sadly the rider of the motorcycle was confirmed deceased at the scene.”

Neil described what he saw when he approached the scene: “I was in the house and I heard a loud bang, then another noise and then bang again. So my wife and I ran out the door – as did our neighbour Denise from hers along with her friend as he ran out also.

Myself and Denise are experienced in first-aid and we got down on our knees (next to the injured motorcyclist) and Denise started calling to him. We tried everything we could to help him.”

Paramedics then arrived on the scene, which saw Neil take up traffic duty in order to divert oncoming vehicles away from the scene.

He added: “The next thing was the arrival of the ambulance and the medical team then took over. I went on traffic duties to divert the traffic – because there were that many cars coming towards the scene – so I could divert them to turn back.”

The following day, Neil heard the news that the man both he and his neighbour Denise tried to save had died. He continued: “A police sergeant came round the next day to say that he passed away at the scene. I knew that the news wouldn’t be good because we were losing him fairly fast.

I had said to myself that if that man was going to make it, it would be a miracle. I’ve a rally car and I do a bit of rallying myself. I was involved in the local motor club for 12 years and on the Marshalling Motorsport Partnership (MMP) Committee for nine or 10 years.

I’m highly trained in helping people in situations when they have had an accident in a rally car so you’re well used to handling people and getting them out in the event of an accident.

I’ve real admiration for the medical team. They relentlessly kept changing over, kept a good rhythm, they worked hard on him to try and get him back. They were very fast (in getting to the scene) – I’d say within five to seven minutes.”

“We went down on the Saturday and put some flowers down at the fence.”

Neil stated that the Derrylin Road near Drumgallon has been no stranger to road traffic accidents and that a request to put in speed bumps had previously been made but knocked back.

He said: “It’s not the first time that we’ve had an accident of this kind on this stretch of road. We had one there a few months ago and there’s been several minor accidents.

On a daily basis, if you’re out the front, you see cars overtaking on that bit – which is 40mph – at excessive speed. There’s a lot of dog-walkers, a lot of joggers and people with children and prams.

Thankfully, there was no car coming the other way or nobody was walking the path because there would have been more fatalities or somebody seriously injured.

I was a committee member for the Drumgallon Area Community Association. I’ve been living in the neighbourhood for 28 years and when I was on the committee in the early 2000s, I asked if we could organise with the road service if we could put in some speed bumps but we got a no from them adding ‘not with a main road there.’”