Garda could be charged after crash victim dies
An investigation has been under way since the accident happened on May 22 but the files will now be reviewed and any charges under consideration may be upgraded.
Mary Seavers, who was 74, was standing near a bus shelter on Clonskeagh Road in Dublin, a residential area between Donnybrook and University College Dublin, when she was struck. The patrol car mounted the pavement almost at right angles and ploughed through the bus shelter. The badly hurt woman was rushed to nearby St Vincent’s Hospital suffering severe crush injuries but was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital where she remained in a critical condition until her death.
Her family issued a brief statement through Beaumont last night, thanking the medical and nursing staff at both hospitals for their care and kindness, and their friends and relatives for their support. They also asked the media to respect their privacy in their grief during what they described as a “sad and difficult time”.
Justice Minister Michael McDowell expressed “deep and profound regret”, but he added the accident was a “very rare occurrence” given the many duties gardaí performed in squad cars.
The cause of the accident is still unclear. It happened on a Sunday evening shortly before teatime in good weather and quiet traffic conditions although there had been heavy rain showers a short time earlier.
Witness statements suggested the officers appeared to be responding to an emergency call and had their siren on, but gardaí have not confirmed the nature of their duties at the time of the accident.
The garda car was severely damaged in the crash but results from technical examinations carried out to see if the vehicle had suffered mechanical failure have not yet been disclosed.
Both the driver of the car and her garda colleague were treated in hospital for shock after the accident. The Garda Press Office declined to say yesterday whether they had returned to work or had been confined to foot patrol or desk duties until the investigation is complete.
Mrs Seavers, who is survived by her husband and grown up children, was the 176th person to die in a road accident this year.
The toll for the same period last year was 159.
