Courts / Kildare / Report

Diabetic driver found not guilty of causing woman's death in horror M50 crash

Date
2023-11-24

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Kildare

County
Kildare

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, Gerry Daly, 57, was found not guilty of dangerous driving causing the death of Jacqueline Griffin, 39, in a fatal M50 collision on 24 January 2019. The jury, after six hours and fifty minutes of deliberation, accepted the defence's argument that Daly's type‑one diabetes had severely impaired his judgment, preventing a conscious decision to drive. Expert testimony from a consultant endocrinologist who had supervised Daly for over a decade confirmed that his blood glucose was well below normal, likely causing confusion and a loss of consciousness. Evidence indicated Daly's vehicle was travelling between 138 and 151 km/h at the time of the crash, which involved a high‑speed collision with a truck and a subsequent roll‑over of Griffin's car, resulting in catastrophic head injuries and her instant death.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Diabetic driver found not guilty of causing woman's death in horror M50 crash. Charges or matters: dangerous driving causing the death of Jacqueline Griffin (39) at junction five of the M50 on January 24, 2019. Procedural stage: trial

When:

January 24, 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
September 2007 Incident
2023-11-24 Publication

Why: He said the defendant would have been "confused" and "disorientated", which reflected a "severe cognitive impairment" because there was "not enough glucose" in the brain. CNI source report