Man who knocked down and killed motorcyclist given suspended sentence

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Gaff, of Mourne Park, Skerries, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to careless driving causing death

A woman whose father was killed after he was struck by another motorist while riding his motorbike has asked people to take care on the roads because “accidents don’t happen, they are caused”.

He said it was a particularly tragic case for Mr Rice’s family and acknowledged that the four victim impact statements before the court were “heartfelt” and demonstrated the devastating loss they are experiencing following the death of their father and husband. Judge Nolan acknowledged that Gaff had no previous convictions and had a long history of employment as an aircraft engineer in the Air Corps. He said it was “quite unlikely” that Gaff will re-offend in the future before he imposed a six month sentence which he suspended in full.Judge Nolan said he didn’t think it was necessary to disqualify Gaff from driving, as that will prevent him from working.

This motorist manoeuvred his car closer to the ditch but he felt that the other car struck him as he passed. He pulled in and got out of the car and it was at this point that he saw the motorcyclist on the ground. The driver who had struck his own car had also stopped his own vehicle. A follow-up report from a forensic collision expert concluded that the main reason for the collision was “lack of steering” and the driver left it “too late to sufficiently react”. He didn’t adjust his steering for the bend and the expert suggested that this may be due to “distraction or driver fatigue”.

Mr McGinn said his client had a solid work record with Air Corps and had 30 years experience as a aircraft engineer. He said he also had expertise as a first responder and offered his services to Mr Rice at the collision. “We had the same sense of humour,” she continued before she described spending so much time laughing with her father. She said he was always there to help and minded her children while she worked and studied.

Ms Rice recalled a memory of her Dad hugging her mother exclaiming how lucky he was – “Look how beautiful your mother is,” she remembered him saying to her. “Little did we know that it would be the last time we would see each other after 50 years,” she said, describing Mr Rice as her “life-time love and companion for the future”.

 

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