A woman has received a suspended sentence for breaking a red light and knocking down a pedestrian who said she has been left “pretty much helpless” as a result of the injuries sustained in the incident.
Sentencing Frienna Rockett on Wednesday at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Pauline Codd said a car can become a “maiming or killing machine if not driven with due regard for all road users”.
Rockett (29), of Ballybrack, Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving causing serious bodily harm on December 16th, 2022. She has no previous convictions.
She was not paying attention to the road while trying to find her sister’s home when her Volkswagen Golf broke a red light at a pedestrian crossing on St Peter’s Road, Crumlin, and hit the 81-year-old woman, who was out walking her dog.
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The victim suffered a bleed to the brain, multiple fractures to her legs, pelvis and clavicle and a dislocated shoulder.
In a victim impact statement, read out by prosecuting counsel at an earlier sentencing hearing, the injured party said she used to be fit and active but can now no longer go to line dancing, meet her Age Action friends or go for coffee because she struggles to leave her home.
“My life is very sad and lonely now,” she said.
The woman said she is “terrified” to walk near the road or to be around traffic and is also in constant pain.
“I’m pretty much helpless,” she said, adding that her son is now her full-time carer. “I feel vulnerable all the time and live with a lot of fear.”
The court heard the incident happened at about 12.30pm and Rockett stayed at the scene and called emergency services after hitting the woman.
The court heard Rockett was not speeding and tested negative for intoxicating substances. When questioned by gardaí at the scene, she said she was “driving at a snail’s pace”, the woman “came out of nowhere” and the traffic light at the pedestrian crossing was green.
However, CCTV footage and dashcam footage from a van travelling directly behind Rockett showed her car breaking the red light. The defendant later said she took her eyes off the road as she was looking for her sister’s house.
The maximum sentence for careless driving causing serious bodily harm is two years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to €10,000.
Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Codd said Rockett’s “carelessness was more than a momentary lapse” and she had allowed the search for her sister’s house “to become a distraction”.
Judge Codd said the victim was a “courageous and brave person” who had lived an active life before this incident.
She said the woman had faced “adversity with dignity” and this incident “reflects how one act of carelessness by a motorist can profoundly affect the life of another”.
She set a headline sentence of 21 months, which she reduced to 17 months after taking mitigation into consideration. She also imposed a two-year driving disqualification on Rockett.
At a previous sentence hearing, Craig Phillips BL, defending, said Rockett was very remorseful for her actions, which were entirely unintentional. A letter of apology for the victim was handed into court.
