A 50-year-old woman who ploughed her car into a roundabout before fleeing the scene of the accident had gone back on the drink after a relationship break-up, the Galway District Court heard this week.
Carol Bruce, with an address at Liscune, Ballymacward, Ballinasloe, pleaded guilty last Monday to dangerous driving, drink driving, driving without insurance and a driving licence, and failure to produce both documents at Bothair Na Dtreabh on August 19, 2009.
Inspector Pat McHugh told the court that at 12.05pm gardai received a call regarding an accident in which a vehicle had crashed “onto a roundabout” and was then abandoned. He said that three people were seen running from the vehicle immediately following the crash but that the female driver was apprehended. The defendant, who at first denied any involvement in the incident, was arrested and later gave an intoxiliser reading of 60mgs of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
The court heard that four witnesses gave gardai detailed accounts of how they had seen the defendant driving in an erratic manner before ploughing straight into the roundabout, narrowly missing other vehicles on the road.
Defence solicitor Valerie Corcoran told how her client was very “ashamed” of her actions on the date in question. She said that Bruce had difficulties with alcohol in the past but had been sober for a long time but had gone back drinking when a relationship she was in broke up in December 2008. Ms Corcoran said that the accident had helped Bruce to “focus her mind” and she has now been sober for a number of months.
“She understood that she had to get help, that her life had spiralled out of control... she has described it as the worst year of her life,” Ms Corcoran added.
“Luckily there were no injuries,” noted Judge Mary Fahy.
For drink driving, dangerous driving, and driving without insurance Bruce was convicted and fined a total of €1,500 with six months to pay and disqaulified from driving for four years. Driving without a licence and failure to produce documents were taken into account.
