Drunk driver whose car turned on its roof on busy Cork road banned for two years

The defendant was fined €250 and disqualified from driving for two years

Skibbereen District Court heard that the accused worked in a local factory in Timoleague, was fully co-operative and was 'putting his hands up'. 
File picture: Dan Linehan

A drunk driver lost control of his car which ended up on its roof on a major road in West Cork, the district court has heard.

Court presenter, Sergeant Tom Mulcahy, told Skibbereen District Court that a single-vehicle accident near Leap in Co Cork was reported on June 3, 2025. When gardaí arrived at the scene at Keamore on the main N71 road just west of Leap village at 8.15pm, a blue Hyundai i30 car was on its roof in the westbound lane.

The driver of the car, identified as Igor Nestoryk, aged 47 with an address at Abbey Street, Timoleague, Co Cork, was at the scene and admitted he had been driving the vehicle. The court heard that the stretch of road where the accident occurred had several sharp bends and Nestoryk, who was driving towards Cork, seemed to have lost control of the vehicle.

When gardaí spoke to Nestoryk at the scene they formed the opinion that he was intoxicated and he was arrested and taken to Bandon Garda Station. At the garda station, Nestoryk gave a breath specimen which tested positive for alcohol with a reading of 54mg per 100ml of breath where the legal limit is 22mg. 

The court was told that Nestoryk, who was assisted by a Ukrainian interpreter in court, had no previous convictions. 

Defence solicitor, Flor Murphy, said Nestoryk had received bad news earlier that day regarding the war in Ukraine that the area where his father lived had been bombed. He said Nestoryk dealt with the news “in the wrong way” and went drinking and then drove. 

He said Nestoryk worked in a local factory in Timoleague, was fully co-operative and was “putting his hands up” and apologising.

Mr Murphy asked Judge Joanne Carroll to consider reducing the charge of dangerous driving to the lesser charge of careless driving. Judge Carroll said it was “a borderline case” and it was fortunate that nobody was seriously injured, but she agreed to Mr Murphy’s request.

Nestoryk was convicted of drink driving and disqualified from driving for two years. He was also convicted of careless driving and fined €250 and given four months to pay the fine.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme