Trucker who knocked down cyclist remanded on bail

14/07/2014

A 49-year-old North Cork haulier has been remanded on bail after admitting to knocking down and seriously injuring a cyclist last year.

The truck driver pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious injury to Vincent O'Driscoll (31) on the main Cork-Macroom road on August 7th 2013.

Garda Patrick O'Leary told Cork Circuit Criminal Court how Mr O'Driscoll was cycling on the N22 two miles from Macroom when the haulier – who was driving a truck and trailer carrying 42 tonnes of lumber - knocked him off his bike as he overtook him.

The rear wheels of the trailer rolled over the victim, who was rushed to Cork University Hospital, where he was not expected to survive the crash. However, he was in court last week, wheelchair-bound, and had prepared a victim impact statement.

The life-threatening injuries suffered by the cyclist included a severed spinal cord, fractured pelvis, two broken hips, two broken legs and two broken ankles. He also suffered liver failure, kidney failure, bowel and bladder damage as well as a minor head injury and a minor shoulder injury.

He spent a month in an induced coma in the Intensive Care Unit at Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Tallaght and a further three months in ICU after regaining consciousness.

He has wear a colostomy bag due to the damage to his bowel and a catheter due to the bladder damage.