A retired 83-year-old Charlestown man who failed to remain at the scene of an accident, was banned from driving for a year at Claremorris District Court sitting in Kiltimagh this week. Louis Brooker, Main Street, Charlestown, pleaded guilty to the charges in court.
Garda Brendan Lydon told the court that on November 11 2008 Brooker was driving his car from Charlestown to Claremorris on the N17. He pulled over into the lane to turn right to Barnacarroll. A woman was driving in the other direction and as she passed Brooker he turned his car and crashed into her.
Douglas Kelly, solicitor for Brooker, told the court that his client did go and speak to the woman driving the other car and got her name and address and gave his details to her before driving off. He added that his client was an 83-year-old retired man who had 60 plus years of unblemished driving experience up to this.
Judge Mary Devins said: “I hate to take away anyone’s independence, but people’s lives were at risk.” She convicted and fined Booker €500 for careless driving and disqualified him from a year, she also convicted and fined him €500 for failing to remain at the scene of the accident.
