This article is from page 14 of the 2012-04-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A TALENTED young hurler sustained serious injuries after he was “rolled over” by a car in Ennis last year, a court has heard.
Clarecastle man Aaron Considine (20) suffered multiple fractures after being rolled over by a car driven by Stefan Coustrain (20).
On Wednesday, Ennis District Court heard that Mr Coustrain initially fled the scene before presenting himself at Ennis Garda Station, one hour and 20 minutes after the incident.
Mr Coustrain, with an address at 23 Ballymoneen, Tulla Road, Ennis pleaded guilty to failing to keep his vehicle at the scene of the occurrence at College View, Ennis on July 8, 2011, and also to having no tax.
Mr Coustrain was ordered to complete 175 hours of community service in lieu of five months in prison. He was also disqualified from holding a license for four years.
The court heard that, on the night, gardaí received a call about a man lying on the hard shoulder of the road outside St Flannan’s College.
Garda Sarah Murphy said Mr Considine, who had been on his way to his girlfriend’s house at the time, couldn’t move and had no re-collec- tion of what had happened.
Mr Coustrain stated that he had been driving home from the shop with his partner and young child when he felt the car “shake”.
The court heard that the incident occurred sometime between 00.51am and 00.59am.
In a statement to gardaí, that was read in court, Mr Coustrain said that when he realised he’d hit a person, he stopped the car and turned around. He said he then drove home, returned to the scene where he saw the ambulance and left again.
A driver who passed by shortly after Mr Considine was struck, stopped, administered CPR and rang the emergency services, the court heard.
The court heard that Mr Coustrain called to the station at around 2.20am. Garda Murphy said he was “distraught, pale and very upset.” She added, “There was no evidence that he was under the influence of any intoxicant.” The court heard that he told gardaí that he was not tired when the incident occurred.
Garda Murphy said the street lighting was not working well on the night.
Inspector Tom Kennedy said that it was accepted that Mr Considine had been lying on the road when the accident happened and had not been standing up.
His solicitor requested that the court not impose a custodial sentence as it would harm Mr Coustrain’s ability to keep his family together. “When he realised what happened, he panicked,” she added.
The court heard that Mr Considine is still recovering from his injuries. He was described as “academically bright” and a “skilled sportsman” involved in sport at a high level.
The court heard that Mr Coustrain has previous convictions for road traffic offences Judge Patrick Durcan said, “This is possibly the most serious driving case I have dealt with since my appointment six months ago.” He noted that this was not a case of dangerous driving.
He said the accused had “absented” himself from the scene for one hour and 20 minutes. He described Mr Coustrain’s beahviour on the night as “flagrant, ignorant and abusive disregard for the law.” He said the issue of lighting was “irrelevant” in this case. He said alcohol and tiredness were not issues either.
He imposed a community service order and ordered Mr Coustrain to appear in court on May 9. Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.