A 25-year-old Gort woman, who was fined €900 this week for careless driving and hit and run offences, was good enough to leave her vehicle’s licence plate behind for gardai before fleeing the scene of a traffic accident, the Galway District Court heard this week.
Christina Hynes with an address at Gortadraghaun, Peterswell, Gort, appeared in court on Monday to face charges of careless driving, failure to give information, failure to remain at the scene, failure to stop, and failure to report an incident at Seamus Quirke Road on March 22, 2009.
Inspector Ernie White told the court that at 3.20pm the defendant suddenly did a U-turn and collided with another vehicle. Hynes stopped briefly and spoke to the injured party who informed her that he was going to ring the gardai. Hynes then quickly fled the scene, but left the number plate of her car at the scene making it very easy for gardai to trace her. The inspector later added that there were no serious injuries in this accident.
The court heard that the defendant has 12 previous convictions mostly for road traffic offences, including driving without insurance for which she was disqualified from driving for six months in February 2010.
“She has an appalling record,” said Judge Mary Fahy.
Hynes’ defence solicitor explained that her client had engaged with the injured party, however, that person then became irate with her. The solicitor said that Hynes went to the Garda station the next day but the incident had already been reported.
The court then heard that Hynes had since been involved in a serious car accident which resulted in her being left in a coma. She is now being treated for behavioural difficulties and memory loss, the long term outcome of which is not yet known. The solicitor added that Hynes is not in a position to drive anymore.
For careless driving Hynes was convicted and fined €350 with four months to pay. She was also fined a further €550 and disqualified for two years for the hit and run offences.
