Man travelling between 169 and 189 km/h moments before Dundalk collision
A driver who fatally injured e-scooter rider, who had just left a local IPAS centre, was travelling at between 169 and 189 km/h moments before the collision and appeared to be racing another car, Dundalk Circuit Court heard
A driver who fatally injured an e-scooter rider, who had just left a local IPAS accommodation centre, was travelling at between 169 and 189 km/h moments before the collision and appeared to be racing another car, Dundalk Circuit Court heard last week.
Matthew Mongan (24) of Reask Green, Commons Road, Navan pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Seif Boudisa (Seef Boo-deesa) on the Armagh Road, Dundalk on August 19th 2023.
The victim, an Algerian national and another e-scooter rider left the Carnbeg hotel around 11.15pm and were travelling towards Dundalk, when he was struck by an Audi driven by the accused, who had been test-driving the car's clutch for a planned sale, after leaving his partner's home at Coulter Place on the Armagh Road to buy cigarettes.
The court was told last Friday that the 26 year old deceased, who suffered catastrophic injuries, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his left leg which had been severed on impact was found in a nearby field following an extensive search.
His left runner and a rear wheel from the e-scooter were found in a hedge by the garda dog unit. The other e-scooter rider was hospitalised for a number of weeks.
The court heard footage showed the defendant travelling out the Armagh Road at between 169 to 189 km/h, where an 80 km/h limit applied.
Footage from the Applegreen on the Newry Road, showed him revving the engine on the forecourt and separate footage showed him in the Audi in the middle of the road driving side by side with another vehicle.
Both e-scooter riders were wearing dark clothing, had no high viz reflectors and the deceased's scooter had no lights on it.
The Senior Defence Counsel stressed that his client was gutted for what he had done, and repeated that he would swap places if he could. He described it as an absolutely insane occasion but it was not fuelled by drink or drugs.
Judge Dara Hayes adjourned finalising the matter and remanded the defendant in custody until Tuesday (yesterday) but said given the extraordinary speed some element of custodial sentence will be involved.