Wife of consultant psychiatrist killed in Cork hit-and-run settles High Court case

Dr Helen Murphy Lawlor settled her High Court case after her husband, psychiatrist Dr Martin Lawlor, was killed in a 2018 Cork hit-and-run

Dr Martin Lawlor was killed in hit and run in Cork City in 2018

A personal injury case brought by the wife of a renowned consultant psychiatrist who died after being hit by a taxi while walking home from a Christmas party in Cork has been settled in the High Court.

Married father-of-three Dr Martin Lawlor, aged 49, died from injuries sustained in the collision near Ballycurreen, Kinsale Road, close to Cork Airport on December 15, 2018.

His wife, Dr Helen Murphy Lawlor, took the case against taxi driver Denis McSweeney, of Pouladuff Road, Cork City.

Dr Murphy Lawlor alleged that Mr McSweeney collided with Dr Lawlor, was aware of the collision, and then "unjustifiably, recklessly and in full knowledge of the collision, deliberately and callously left the scene without compassion, concern or regard for the condition of Dr Lawlor".

Mr McSweeney was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in 2021 for the hit-and-run, but this was halved on appeal later that year. He had pleaded guilty to failing to stop his vehicle after an incident, failing to keep it at the scene of an accident, failing to report the incident to gardaí, and failing to provide appropriate information.

In High Court papers, Mr McSweeney, who was 75 at the time of his May 2021 appeal, admitted that his vehicle collided with Dr Lawlor, who was walking on the public road at Ballycurreen on December 15, 2018.

He admitted failing to stop after the collision and that Dr Lawlor’s fatal injuries resulted from the incident. However, Mr McSweeney denied that negligence, breach of duty, or statutory breach caused the collision, as alleged.

Dr Lawlor, a native of Tralee, Co Kerry, lived in Manchester but travelled to Ireland for work.

Dr Murphy Lawlor said her husband was at the peak of his career at the time of his death, working with the HSE and Nua Healthcare, and was “renowned and respected” for his professional achievements.

The court approved the agreed settlement and ordered the striking out of the case, substituting AXA Insurance for Mr McSweeney, who died in November last year.

Ms Justice Emily Egan granted the plaintiff’s costs, with damages to be agreed, describing it as a “very, very sad case” and offering her condolences to Dr Lawlor’s family.

Dr Murphy Lawlor, of Stalybridge, Cheshire, UK, was represented by Dr John F O’Mahony SC, James O’Mahony SC, and Ray Motherway BL, instructed by Matthew J Nagle & Co.

Mr O’Mahony thanked the judge for her “patience and indulgence” and said he was pleased to confirm that the matter had settled and could be struck out.

Ms Justice Egan said she was “enormously pleased” to hear of the case’s resolution. Eamon Murray SC, for the defence, expressed his condolences to Dr Lawlor’s family.

When sentencing Mr McSweeney, who had no previous convictions, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin described Dr Lawlor as a man of “considerable compassion” and an “exemplar of his profession.”

Judge Ó Donnabháin said he did not accept Mr McSweeney’s explanation that he had panicked and attributed his actions to “callousness.”