Man who crashed into taxi and fled scene avoids jail time

By Claire Henry

A man who crashed into a taxi and left a passenger with multiple injuries has been given a suspended sentence.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that gardai were called to attend the scene of a car accident where Jim Connors (30), the driver of one car was seen running away from the scene.

The second vehicle was a taxi and a passenger in that vehicle sustained four cracked discs in his neck, two cracked discs in his back, two cracked ribs, a fractured right ankle and a broken left tibia.

Connors, of Tig Mo Chroi, Glenamuck Road, Carrickmines, pleaded guilty to five charges including dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, being the driver of a vehicle where injury was caused to a person and failing to assist that person, failing to offer assistance and doing so to escape prosecution at civil or state level and driving a vehicle without holding a driver’s licence in Cherrywood, Dublin on February 19, 2022.

He has 36 previous convictions, which include 10 for road matter offences. He was also disqualified from driving at the time of this offence.

Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Martina Baxter imposed a sentence of four and half years which she suspended in full on condition that Connors keep the peace and be of good behaviour for five years.

Connors is also required to engage with the Probation Service for two years and undergo any treatment the service deems necessary, including drug rehabilitation.

At a previous hearing, a local garda told David Staunton, BL, prosecuting, that two cars had been involved in a collision at a junction that was controlled by traffic lights. She said a red Vauxhall car collided with a black Skoda taxi.

She told the court that there was significant damage to both cars and the driver of the red Vauxhall, who was later identified as Connors, was not present.

The garda said the black Skoda taxi contained two passengers and the driver. Independent witnesses at the scene told gardai that the car Connors drove went straight through a red light and collided with the taxi. A description of the driver was given to the gardai.

CCTV footage was obtained from a local shop and Connors was identified. He was arrested in June 2022 and brought for interview but made no admissions to gardai.

Images of the scene and the damage done to both cars were handed into the court.

One of the backseat passengers, who was in his early 50s at the time, said in his garda interview that he had been at a GAA match and while in the taxi he heard an “unmerciful bang”. He sustained four cracked discs in his neck, two cracked discs in his back, two cracked ribs, a fractured right ankle and a broken left tibia.

The second passenger, who was in his early 60s, described a man appearing at the car window and asking him if he was okay and what his friend’s name was.

The taxi driver, who was in his late 70s at the time, was brought to St Vincent’s Hospital and treated for soft tissue damage.

The garda agreed with Justin McQuade, BL, defending, that his client entered a guilty plea on the first court date, and this plea was of value to the gardai and the victims who were spared the ordeal of a trial.

Mr McQuade said his client has struggled with alcohol addiction over a prolonged period of time. A total of 29 clean urine analyses were handed into the court and the probation report, which was before the court, showed that Connors was making good progress in the Coolmine treatment centre.