The injuries sustained by two cyclists when they were hit during a training ride by a driver who had been drinking have emerged at a court case in Co Roscommon.
Stickybottle reported on the crash at the time, in September 2017, when the driver hit two female cyclists from behind.
The two injured riders were part of a three-person group
out training at Doon, north Roscommon.
While one of the riders was not hit by
the driver in his car, the two cyclists she was with – including her sister –
were struck.
The details of their injuries were outlined in court
during the hearing when the driver was sentenced to four years.
Some 30 months of the sentence was suspended,
meaning the prison time imposed was 18 months.
That will result in actual prison time of 13½ months
when remission is factored in for convicted man Muiris Flynn, Meadow Bank,
Geevagh, Co Sligo.
Advertisement
He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing
serious bodily harm. Flynn stopped at the scene of the crash and offered what
help he could.
Gardai said he also admitted he had been drinking
the previous night. He was arrested at the scene and an alcohol test showed he
had 80mg of alcohol per 100mls of breath.
The court was told the three victims were out
training at the time of the crash and were cycling in single file.
They were wearing brightly coloured high visibility
clothing when the crash occurred at about 9.30am on Sunday, September 24th,
2017.
Related News
One of the cyclists was left with a broken pelvis
and broken leg. The other injured rider suffered a broken back.
Both women also sustained abrasions and other soft
tissue injuries and in their victim impact statement the court was told one of
them prayed at the scene as she believed she was about to die.
They are both mothers with young families, both
continue to suffer psychologically and physically and neither has returned to
the working lives they had at the time of the crash.
One of the cyclists was thrown up into the air when
hit from behind while the other was thrown onto an embankment.
In a victim impact statement one of the riders said “the
three of us could have been killed”. She added she had been confined to a
wheelchair for 10 weeks and that she had been forced to look on for four months
heartbroken as other people cared for her young child.
The other woman said she recalled experiencing “unreal”
pain at the crash site.
She had prayed while injured on the road as she
thought she would die and was in hospital for four months.
She had not returned to work two years later and her
friend who was also injured has still not returned to full-time work.
Judge Francis Comerford at Roscommon Circuit Court
said the cyclists were entitled to be on the road that day and had suffered
life-altering injuries.
He imposed a sentence of four years, suspending 30
months of it, and banned Flynn from driving for eight years.
The court was told an offer by Flynn of €12,000
compensation to the women was rejected.
Topics
