An Austrian man who failed to remain at the scene of an accident was before Ballina District Court on Tuesday where he was disqualified from driving for a year by Judge Patrick Durcan.
On December 16 2011 at 12.20pm, Mario Mittmannsgruber, Ardrass, Attymass, Ballina, was parked outside a fishing tackle shop on Ridgepool Road. As he reversed his car he hit into a van which was parked at a junction. The defendant drove away, however the driver of the van followed him and stopped him, but the defendant drove away and went home. Gardaí shortly arrived at the defendant’s home.
Damage caused to the van was €999; the matter is being dealt with by insurance.
The single man who is unemployed has two previous convictions.
Judge Patrick Durcan said, “I don’t like people who leave the scene of an accident.” The judge said Mittmannsgruber “showed a considerable degree of arrogance” and he convicted and fined him €500 and disqualified him from driving for one year.
