Wexford woman who was badly injured in accident pleads with judge not to jail driver
Wexford PeopleA DHL driver has been fined in connection to an offence of careless driving causing serious bodily harm.
On November 7, 2024 Ann Keeling was using the pedestrian crossing at Pauls Quay, Wexford, when she was struck by a van being driven by Dylan Warren (31) of 54 Gurteen Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin.
The court heard that as result of the collision Ms Keeling suffered fractured ribs, a punctured lung, a tender left chest wall, and a superficial wound to the back of the head.
Warren admitted that at the time he had been using a hands-free device to take a phone call and had glanced down at his phone, causing him to miss Ms Keeling stepping onto the pedestrian crossing.
The injured party provided a victim impact statement to the court and stated that while her lungs and ribs have healed there are still some injuries she is suffering from.
Despite this, Ms Keeling told the court she did not wish to see Warren imprisoned, acknowledging that the collision had not been intentional. Her husband, Joe Keeling, also addressed the court and said they would not like to see the accused lose his licence, noting that he worked as a professional driver and needed it to support his family.
Judge John Cheatle described the pair as “the two most decent people he has come across” while taking into consideration how they wish for the matter to be dealt with.
He also considered the genuine remorse of Warran, who stayed at the scene and has been attending counselling, and imposed a fine of €500 with six months to pay.