Careless driving offence

CARELESS driving by Eileen Roche (54) of Rath in Duncormick was the cause of a collision on the New Line Road, Judge Brian O’Shea ruled at the District Court.

The court heard evidence from both Ms Roche and, first, from the driver of the second car involved in the accident.

Siobhan Donovan said that she was heading past Kate’s Farm Shop on the evening in question, going towards Wexford Town in her Toyota Corolla hatchback.

The witness told how she saw another car, which proved to be the Ford Focus of the accused, coming in the opposite direction and indicating an intention to turn right.

Ms Donovan, who was heading towards her grandmother’s home in Wexford at the time, said she had no reason to believe that the other vehicle would not stop.

Instead, the impact occurred, flipping the Corolla on to its roof, so that she had to get out through the window beside the passenger seat.

Ms Roche told the court how she had been having a meal in the Whitford Hotel earlier on the evening in question with her sister Brenda.

The two women started out along the New Line but then the accused realised that it would be better to take the New Ross road in order to go to Ballinaboola.

She reckoned Kate’s Farm Shop would be a safe place to turn and her evidence was that she was stopped and on the correct side of the white line when the impact occurred.

However, Judge Brian O’Shea concluded that Ms Roche must have been in Ms Donovan’s carriageway as a result of careless driving.

He convicted accordingly, setting a fine of €400 for the offence.