Banned driver fled scene of motorcycle crash that killed pal
A MAN fled the scene of a motorbike crash in Co Antrim in which his friend died and spent the night hiding in a forest.
Michael John Andrews (27), of Dunluskin Gardens in Carrickfergus, was a banned driver when he and Gary Welsh (25) were riding separate motorbikes along Main Street in Ballycarry on June 1, 2017.
A prosecutor told Ballymena Magistrates Court there was contact between the two off-road trail bikes and Mr Welsh collided with a parked car.
He was found unconscious following the 9.45pm collision. An ambulance arrived but Mr Welsh died of his injuries.
It was established Andrews had been riding the other bike and that he left the scene.
He was not spoken to by police until 4.20pm the next day and had an open gash to his forehead.
The defendant pleaded guilty to charges of driving while disqualified, being an uninsured driver and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
During an interview the defendant told police he and the deceased had been out riding and he was the lead bike when Mr Welsh came up his inside and their handlebars struck.
Andrews said after he realised Mr Welsh was “not moving” he left the scene and remained in a forest overnight.
Fatal injuries: Gary Welsh
An expert estimated the bikes were travelling at around 40mph, and the deceased had drunk alcohol and had a blood/ alcohol level of 215mg per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said it would not reflect well on the defendant if he had left his friend lying on the road without anybody assisting him.
Defence barrister Andrew Moriarty said Andrews leaving the scene could perhaps be connected to his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and being “presented with a horrendous scenario”.
Sentencing Andrews, Judge Broderick said he wished to extend his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
The judge said there was no prosecution in terms of the manner of Andrews’ driving, but nonetheless he had “fled from the scene” and did not make himself amenable to police for some time.
Judge Broderick said he considered a medical report on the defendant and said it was clear he had been experiencing mental health difficulties, which had “deteriorated” since the tragedy.
The judge said Andrews had 49 previous convictions, including 25 for road traffic offences, and his initial reaction was to jail him. But he said medical and probation reports showed it was clear the defendant had “reflected on the tragic circumstances of the death of his friend”.
The judge said that although Andrews has struggled with alcohol and drugs there was no evidence he was under the influence at the time of the collision, but “a cloud must hang over him” as he fled the scene.
Judge Broderick banned him from driving for six years and ordered him to do 100 hours of unpaid work. He also put him on probation for a year with conditions to attend any drug/alcohol counselling as directed.