Courts / Dublin / Report

Uninsured driver avoids jail after chase ended with serious injuries to friend

Summary

On 1 April 2021, Nathan Kiernan (21) drove an uninsured Ford Focus at high speed, causing a chase that ended in a crash that seriously injured his passenger, Jason O'Rourke, who suffered a ruptured bladder, fractured pelvis and pubic bone fractures. Kiernan was arrested after a patrol car spotted the vehicle with no headlights. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, endangerment for driving at high speed, and driving without insurance or a licence. Judge Martin Nolan, after hearing evidence, ordered Kiernan to undergo a Probation Service assessment and imposed 200 hours of community service in lieu of a two‑year prison term, noting he had no prior convictions and was suitable for community service. Kiernan was remanded on continuing bail until the hearing. O'Rourke fully recovered and the two remain friends. The incident involved multiple patrol cars, a high‑speed chase, and a crash into a traffic island and tree.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Uninsured driver avoids jail after chase ended with serious injuries to friend. Charges or matters: dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Mr O'Rourke at St Margaret's Road, Finglas, Dublin; endangerment in relation to driving the car at high speed at a garda patrol car forcing the garda driver to take evasive action to avoid a crash; dangerous driving, and driving a car without insurance or a licence. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• April 1, 2021 Incident
• 2023-01-16 Publication

Why: Nathan Kiernan (21) told gardai after his arrest that he panicked when he saw a patrol car because he was driving the car with no insurance on the night of April 1, 2021. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report