Elderly woman has dangerous driving charge struck out

A JUDGE showed a very different attitude to the same offence when he struck out a woman’s charge of dangerous driving, having previously jailed a man for six months for the same offence. However, their circumstances couldn’t have been more different.

Una O’Gorman (88) of Cullinagh, Ballylinan, Co Kildare was being charged with dangerous driving at Clonpierce, Ballylinan – the local road between Castletown and Levitstown – on 7 October last at around 5.30pm.

Remembering her from her first court appearance in her life just a fortnight previously, Judge Desmond Zaidan turned to Ms O’Gorman’s accompanying niece, who shrugged, and said: “She can’t hear you.” 

“I can hear very well,” the defendant quickly corrected her.

“She has two hearing aids, but she’s only wearing one,” the niece half-rolled her eyes.

At her last appearance, Sergeant Dave Hanrahan gave a brief outline of the circumstances.

“Judge, she came around a corner on the wrong side of the road. A third party was stopped and she hit her,” he said. “Both cars were written off."

“Injuries?” enquired Judge Zaidan.

“The other woman had three broken ribs and some muscle damage but is expected to make a full recovery,” said the sergeant.

“However, this woman had a fractured ankle, a fractured jaw and a fractured neck. They were very serious injuries,” he said.

“So, you wait ’til you’re 88 to misbehave?” smiled the judge.

“I’ve been 70 years driving and that is the first crash I ever had – and the last,” said Ms O’Gorman.

“She believes she may have had an episode and has no recollection of the incident,” explained her solicitor Seamus Taaffe. “She won’t be driving again."

“She was coming from Mass,” explained her niece. “There were relics of St Bernadette in Carlow cathedral and she wanted to see them."

“How far away is Mass?” asked the judge.

“Eight miles, but I only crashed half-a-mile from my house,” she replied.

“You could learn a lot while you still have her,” smiled the judge to the niece.

Mr Taaffe pleaded with the judge not to convict and said: “She’s willing to give up her licence.” 

He added: “Her licence expired at the end of March and we didn’t bother to renew it."

“Do you want to drive again?” asked the judge.

“Not really,” said the woman.

“I expect the person on the other side will take out a personal injury claim,” the judge predicted.

“I suspect so,” conceded Mr Taaffe.

“She got a huge fright,” said the niece.

“I feel sorry for her and the other person, but I will mark the facts as proven and will strike out, purely on humane grounds,” he concluded.