A woman has been fined €400 for driving without reasonable consideration for her role in a road collision where a pedestrian suffered life altering injuries.
Olga Maslakova, 33, was driving in the bus lane when her car struck a young woman crossing the road. A witness described how her view had been blocked by the cars in the lanes to her right.
A nolle prosequi was entered by the state on a charge of careless driving causing serious bodily harm to Ms Jodie Regazzoli. Ms Regazzoli suffered serious injuries including a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for eight weeks.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the incident occurred at a dual carriageway with a hedge down the median. Over time pedestrians began to cross the lanes cutting through a gap in the hedge rather than use the footbridge nearby.
Maslakova, of Boru Court, Forrest Road, Swords, accepted that she should not have been driving in the bus lane at the time. She pleaded guilty to driving without reasonable consideration at the R132 on April 17, 2018.
Judge Elma Sheahan said the case was “absolutely tragic” and noted the life altering injuries suffered by Ms Regazzoli. She said the victim impact statement was sad and distressing.
She said the role played by Ms Maslakova was indicated by the charge before the court and took into account her guilty plea, that she was fully insured and there was no issue regarding drink or drugs.
The judge also took into account that she had sought to render help at the scene and offered to donate blood in the aftermath. She noted Ms Maslakova was a working mother with a young family.
Garda Ciaran McGroder said he attended at the scene and found a female seriously injured and Latvian national Ms Maslakova was beside her car visibly very upset.
A witness told gardai that the girl crossing the road had run to try and beat the traffic. He said she was not weaving in between cars, the road was clear but there were cars approaching.
He said his view was that Ms Maslakova’s view had been blocked by two cars in the two lanes to her right. He said he saw the girl being struck by the front right of the car and she was thrown into the air.
Ms Maslakova, who was on her usual morning route with her two small children in the back, was travelling in the region of 58 km/h where the speed limit was 80 km/h.
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