Previous night’s drink a factor in fatal crash

The driving ability of a 28-year-old mother, who was involved in an accident which claimed a woman’s life, was severely impaired by alcohol from the night before.

Aisling Cummins was yesterday jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Ms Cummins, who has a 9-year-old son, was banned from driving for 20 years. She also received a suspended jail sentence of another two-and-a-half years.

Sligo Circuit Court heard she had been given her licence back from a drink-driving conviction just a year before the accident in which Karen Mounsey, aged 56, died.

Ms Cummins, a native of Drumcliffe, Co Sligo, admitted dangerous driving causing the death of Mrs Mounsey and injury to her husband James, who is now aged 74.

Judge Anthony Hunt heard the accused had been drinking wine the night before at home after working in the Monsoon restaurant in Bundoran.

When she got up, she drove early in the morning to Boyle, Co Roscommon. As she was returning home, the accident occurred at 8.30am on Aug 28, 2010, on the N4 at Drumfin, Riverstown, Co Sligo.

Mr Mounsey and his wife were travelling in the opposite direction from their home in Riverstown in a 2008 Citroen van to work in a restaurant he owned at King House in Boyle.

The court heard, in a statement he made to gardaí, he saw a 2005 Peugeot 307 Cabriolet on the wrong side heading towards him.

“It came straight at us. It didn’t stop. There was a huge bang.”

Mr Mounsey was cut from the car. Ms Cummins’ blood level was later found to have 148 milligrammes of alcohol to 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit at the time was 80 mgs.

Mr Mounsey, who walked with the aid of a crutch, read a victim impact statement in the witness box in which he recalled the effects of the loss of Karen on him and his family.

He said he knew his wife was killed at time of impact and it was something he had to live with every day.

“I was so ill in hospital I could not even attend my own wife’s funeral even though it was delayed as long as possible.”

As Cummins faced him in court, brushing back tears, he continued: “In the last three years not once has Aisling Cummins expressed any remorse for her actions.”

He recalled how his business was lost because of the accident and one of his two sons had to emigrate.

John Shortt, defending, read an apology to the Mounsey family from Cummins. In it she said she wanted to write to the Mounsey family for a long time but she was frightened.

Her apology added: “I cannot find enough words to describe my remorse and guilt. I never intended to crash or hurt anybody. I will live with this to the day I die and I genuinely pray for you every day.”

Outside the court Mr Mounsey and his son Ian refrained from commenting on the sentence.

“The sentence makes no difference. It’s not going to change what happened. It’s not going to bring my wife back.”