Man whose car was involved in fatal crash in Co Carlow is fined and disqualified
Carlow Courthouse
A MAN whose friend died while driving his car while uninsured was fined and disqualified from driving at Carlow District Court last week.
Vishnu Ganapathy, aged 31, was prosecuted after the court heard that on 31 January 2025 at Rathoe, his car was involved in a single-vehicle collision in which the driver suffered fatal injuries. One of the rear seat passengers also received fatal injuries on the day in question.
The court heard that the car was owned by Mr Ganapathy and that the driver, a friend of his, was not insured to drive it at the time. The defendant, who was a front seat passenger, had permitted him to drive.
On 13 May 2025, Mr Ganapathy, who lives at 3 Hanover, Carlow, made a formal statement to gardaí, saying he thought his friend was covered to drive. He has no previous convictions.
Solicitor Alex Rafter said his client and three friends had been to Mount Leinster for a hike and that on the way home, Mr Ganapathy's friend drove the car back. He said his client was finding the matter very distressing and didn’t want to go into evidence.
“He did believe his friend had a full licence,” said Mr Rafter, adding that Mr Ganapathy had been in Ireland for six years and was working as an engineer, while his wife is working as a doctor.
“The people in the car are part of his community here. Members of the deceased’s family live here also.” Mr Rafter noted that there would also be a civil case in relation to the matter, but that in this instance his client needed his car for work.
Judge Geraldine Carthy asked: “How did your client come to the belief that his friend was insured to drive the car?”
Mr Rafter replied: “He was tired and distressed that morning and his friend offered to drive home. His friend had his own car, so there was no reason to look beyond that. His friend had a full licence, he thought, but he only had a learner licence. My client had an open driving on his policy and would have been covered if his friend had a full licence, like he thought. My client is a learner, but he has an international driving licence.”
Judge Carthy said: “I have no doubt this was a very distressing day for your client. I take it on board. It is also distressing for the deceased’s family members. However, this is an extremely serious case – two people are now deceased and I can’t ignore that fact.”
The judge said she believed Mr Ganapathy had acted in good faith on the day in question, adding: “It is an obligation on us all to ensure that whomsoever is driving our cars are, in fact, insured to drive.”
She convicted and fined the defendant €500, with 120 days to pay, and disqualified him from driving for a period of six months.
