Food critic Tom Doorley has told a court he suffered two broken shoulders after being hit by a car in Dublin city-centre.
Taxi driver Mark Cruikshanks (38) of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, Dublin has pleaded not guilty to careless driving at Fleet Street. He claims Mr Doorley rushed out in front of his Toyota Avensis.
Mr Doorley – who appears as a critic in TV3's The Restaurant and writes a food and wine column for the Irish Daily Mail – told the court on Tuesday he was in Dublin city-centre on October 17th, 2014 for a business meeting and lunch at the Merrion Hotel. He said he drank two glasses of red wine.
Later, at about 6pm, he went to another restaurant for a meal, during which he drank two small bottles of water. He said he then decided to get a taxi home and walked along Westmoreland Street. At the junction with Fleet Street, he said, he was on the outside flank of a number of people crossing the road.
“Due to a particular childhood experience I am extremely cautious crossing the road,” he told Judge Walsh. He said he looked up Fleet Street and confirmed nothing was coming. He proceeded to cross and recalled that as he was about to step on to the other pavement he spun and ended up on a bonnet of a car. He said he landed on the ground on his back.
The court heard he was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital and was given painkillers. Mr Doorley said he was subsequently treated at Blackrock Clinic. One shoulder was broken in three places and he also broke his other shoulder.
His left side was immobile for six months and he just recently had surgery, he said. Medical reports were furnished to the court.
In cross-examination, Mr Cruikshanks' solicitor put it to Mr Doorley, a former Irish Times restaurant critic, that he did not mention the alcoholic drinks in his statement. He said he did not think it was relevant, but it was put to him that it is relevant if someone was drunk. "I certainly was not drunk," Mr Doorley replied.
Following an intervention from the judge, the solicitor apologised to Mr Doorley and told the court he was withdrawing the question.
Garda Declan Ryan said it was an extremely wet and there would have been a lot of traffic. Though there is lighting in the area, it is not well lit, he said. Garda Ryan said the taxi driver Mr Cruikshanks was “very shaken up by what happened”.
Giving evidence in court on Tuesday, Mr Cruikshanks said he picked up a passenger and had to make his way to Fleet Street. He claimed Mr Doorley had been in the middle of the road when he was hit and other people were still waiting cross. He said he would have braked if he had seen him, but “he rushed out in front of me”.
Judge Miriam Walsh granted an adjournment to consider her verdict.