Fisherman guilty of dangerous driving on the New Line Road Renowned photographer to bring show to St Michael’s
AN ACCIDENT of which he had no useful memory was re-lived as Brendan Eite from Willow Lodge, Arthurstown faced a dangerous driving charge at the District Court in Wexford.
The 25-year-old fisherman was heading for Wexford on the New Line road at Mullanour in Murrintown on December 23, 2015 when he crashed head on into a septic tank lorry.
The collision left him injured and one of the two passengers with him in a 1997 registered Toyota Starlet was also badly hurt.
After hearing evidence from three other motorists who were on the road the same dark winter’s evening, Judge Gerard Haughton had no hesitation in finding Eite guilty.
The court also imposed a conviction for driving a dangerously defective vehicle after learning that one of the tyres on the Toyota was worn to the extent that it was disintegrating.
First witness in the case was Amanda Byrne who told how her car was twice hit from behind by Eite’s vehicle as she headed in the direction of Wexford before she heard the crash.
She pulled in to the car park of the Mountain Bar and went back to discover that the Starlet appeared to have ‘nose-dived’ under a truck after ricocheting off her vehicle.
Lorry driver Stephen Wiggins was next to give evidence, recalling how he was travelling in the direction of New Ross and rolling to a stop when a car from the opposite side of the road skidded into the truck head on.
Also on the road that night was Trish Inan in her Nissan X-Trail who recalled that the Starlet seemed to come out of nowhere and straight into the front of the lorry.
The incident was investigated by Garda Tanya Keating who arrived to find three men unconscious in the car.
She went to hospital with the driver and, with the assistance of Doctor Stephen Bowe, obtained a blood sample there from the defendant.
Analysis of the blood disclosed the presence of cannabis in his system, with no sign of any alcohol.
Judge Haughton ruled that the evidence from the laboratory was not strong enough to support a drug drive conviction.
The testimony given to the court, he remarked, recalled an accident which was extremely serious and which could have been fatal.
It appeared that Eite attempted to overtake at least one vehicle while the lorry was approaching from the other direction, careering in front of Wiggins’ vehicle.
Such dangerous driving merited a fine of €500 and a fine of €300 was imposed for driving a dangerously defective vehicle.
Eite was put off the road for two years and ordered to pay €150 in witness expenses. Multi AWARD winning wild life photographer Colin Stafford-Johnson is bringing all the drama and colour of his career to a show at St Michael’s Theare on Wednesday, November 8.
Stafford-Johnson is the foremost nature and wildlife cinematographer and presenter in Ireland today and could be considered the Irish David Attenborough, given his encyclopedic knowledge of wildlife and nature.
The photographer will present his ‘Living the Wild Life… with Colin Stafford-Johnson’ show at St. Michael’s Theatre as part of a nationwide tour of Ireland.
He will discuss everything from filming tigers at close range in India to touring Ireland in his camper van. Colin’s shows ‘Secret Life of the Shannon’, ‘Wild Ireland, Edge of the World’ and ‘Living the Wildlife’ have lead to adventures in every corner of our homeland. In his latest adventure ‘Wild Ireland’, Colin discovered Ireland, and in particular the Atlantic coast, with a fresh and invigourating eye. Exploring on a currach, Colin journeyed from the Skellig Islands to the Blasket Islands, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and Clew Bay in Mayo.
People attending will have the opportunity to find out how people become a wildlife cameraman, what the challenges filming the wild include, the weird and the wonderful. Adult ticket prices cost €18. The cost for retired, students and children is €16.