Dangerous driver caused death of grandfather after driving through white stop line on Tramore road
Matthew O’Shea, of Magnh, Fenor South, Tramore, Co. Waterford, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death.
A 25-year-old man has received an 18-month sentence for dangerous driving that resulted in the death of a grandfather.
Matthew O’Shea, of Magnh, Fenor South, Tramore, Co. Waterford, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing the death of John McNeil, at Waterford Circuit Court.
On June 7, 2024, O’Shea drove his Audi through a white line and crashed his vehicle into a silver Mercedes minibus that had the right of way.
A road collision investigator confirmed that had O’Shea stopped his vehicle on the white line for at least three seconds, he would have seen the minibus.
The crash happened at a crossroads on the R682 when O'Shea crossed the path of the oncoming minibus. Mr McNeil, the driver of the minibus, was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and Defence Forces veteran. He was on his way to pick up passengers to go to bingo that evening. He died at the scene after suffering a traumatic brain injury, according to pathologist Dr Rob Landers.
O'Shea was cautioned at the scene and charged on suspicion of dangerous driving. He tested negative for alcohol and illegal substances. During his interview with Gardaí he asked if the victim had been wearing a seatbelt and if it was "illegal to wear flipflops" while driving.
The family of Mr McNeil gave impact statements at Waterford Circuit Court. His son spoke of the horror of learning about his father's death while working within the Defence Forces' barracks. He said that his father's death was at the hands of "someone's negligence, who thought that the rules didn't apply to him".
"My father was someone with all the answers," he said, describing how he tried to ring his father a few days after his death: "I was working on something, I went to ring him and it all hit me."
He described the regret he still felt in seeing his father's remains at UHW: "That image is seared in my mind."
Mr McNeil's daughter spoke of the sorrow of not being able to see her father meet her infant child, who was born after the crash. She also spoke of the trauma and fear she feels whenever she is driving on a crossroads.
She said that O'Shea had not shown any remorse for his actions as if, in her words, "my dad's life was insignificant".
His wife of 40 years told the court in her statement: "I lost my best friend, my confidante. I feel lost without him."
Her future was thrown into uncertainty and darkness as all the plans they made together were destroyed by the crash.
Judge Eugene O'Kelly requested a probation report for O'Shea. The following week, O'Shea was handed down a sentence of two years and six months, suspended by one year. He was also disqualified from driving for a period of five years.
At the hearing, legal counsel for O'Shea claimed that he had offered an apology to Mr McNeil's family and had written a letter to them.
Judge O'Kelly called the letter "coldly impersonal" and difficult to parse out what O'Shea was apologising for. O'Shea received mitigation for his work history, lack of relevant convictions and previous good character.
