A man who crashed a quad bike into a car carrying three young children in Tallaght while three times over the alcohol limit has been banned from driving for three years.
Gary Brogan (27), of Donomore Crescent, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Tallaght District Court to drink-driving, careless driving, having no insurance and driving without a licence at Killinarden Heights on 18 August, 2023.
Judge Patricia McNamara heard that Brogan’s black-and-yellow Yamaha quad bike collided with a silver Nissan Qashqai as the driver, a mother with her young children aged three and four in the car, was turning right. None of them were injured but Brogan suffered a broken collarbone and kneecap.
Gardaí said that Brogan was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Tallaght University Hospital, where a urine sample showed 207 mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine – over the legal limit. He was also unable to produce a driving licence or insurance documents on demand.
Defence solicitor Michael Hennessy told the court that his client, who works in event security, had no memory of the crash, accepted he should not have been drinking, and “apologises unreservedly”.
He told the court that Brogan had no previous road traffic convictions but has minor convictions for public-order and trespassing offences. He cooperated fully with the investigation and entered guilty pleas at an early stage.
Judge McNamara said Brogan had already been given “more than enough” of an awareness course by what had happened to him. She questioned whether it was even legal to drive a quad bike on a main road and warned him to “stay off the roads” until properly licensed and insured.
“I hope this is a wake-up call for you,” she told him, noting he had been “very fortunate” not to have injured the other driver or her young passengers.
Taking into account his guilty pleas, which had saved the State having to call witnesses, the judge imposed a €500 fine with five months for payment, and disqualified Brogan from driving for the mandatory minimum three years.