Carlow man fined €2,000 for collision which left an elderly pedestrian with broken hip
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A 31-YEAR-old man was fined €2,000, but escaped a driving disqualification, after a judge cited his remorse and apology to the court following a collision that left an elderly pedestrian with a broken hip, from which she has never fully recovered.
Zhixian Lu, with an address of Burrin Road, Carlow, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing injury, contrary to section 52 of the at a recent sitting of Carlow District Court.
The court heard that on 21 January 2025, gardaí were flagged down by members of the public alerting them to an incident at Castleview, Graiguecullen, Carlow, where an elderly woman had been knocked down by a car and had suffered a suspected broken hip as a result of the incident. The driver of the car remained at the scene following the accident.
Insp Tom Jones told the court that dashcam footage, which was downloaded from the driver’s car, showed Mr Lu, who was stopped at a junction outside the Lazy River Café, attempting to turn right before striking the pedestrian at approximately 7kph.
An independent witness to the accident said Mr Lu had pulled away slowly from the junction before the accident.
Judge Geraldine Carthy asked Insp Jones would it be a place where a pedestrian would normally cross the road, to which he replied that there is no pedestrian crossing there; however, there is a footpath on both sides of the road.
He added that the woman had just been dropped off by a car but needed to cross to the other side of the road.
Counsel for the defence, Donal Callaghan BL, outlined his client’s life circumstances, telling the court that he is a Chinese national and has been living in Ireland for the past five years.
“He shares a room in Carlow with another individual and pays €400 a month in rent,” said Mr Callaghan.
Mr Callaghan explained that his client has two dependants, namely his elderly parents in China, to whom he sends €1,000 a month home.
Mr Callaghan told the court that Mr Lu had stopped his car immediately after colliding with the victim and helped her to the side of the road. He also attempted to call an ambulance but stopped when a bus driver who witnessed the incident said he had already alerted the emergency services.
“I am respectfully asking that my client have the benefit of the rather than a fine,” said Mr Callaghan.
Mr Callaghan told the court that his client wished to pay €2,000 as a gesture of goodwill to the victim, adding that he is limited in this regard due to working a minimum wage job.
Judge Carthy asked the victim, who was present in court, how she is currently doing, with members of her family who accompanied her saying that she has never recovered fully from the accident and that she requires a carer every day.
Judge Carthy said that while she had been asked to apply the , she was satisfied that it was not appropriate to do so in the circumstances. She noted the serious injury suffered by the victim as an aggravating factor, while acknowledging Mr Lu’s guilty plea, his lack of previous convictions, his demonstrated remorse and his apology to the court as mitigating factors.
Judge Carthy convicted Mr Lu and imposed a fine of €2,000, giving him 120 days to pay. She declined to impose a disqualification from driving, citing his remorse and apology to the court. Mr Lu was further bound to the peace on his own bond of €500.
