Driver feel asleep at the wheel before crashing in Laois
The man had worked eight days in a row before the collision
A Portarlington resident worked eight days straight before falling asleep behind the wheel and crashing into an oncoming motorbike in Laois.
Matthew Dabrowski, 25, of 7 Castlelea Avenue, Portarlington admitted dangerous driving on the Lea Road, Portarlington, Laois on May 19 last year.
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said “the driver fell asleep, crossed the other side of the road and hit the motorbike.”
“He crossed over the white line and he collided with a motorcycle that was travelling the other way,” he explained.
The driver of the motorcycle was taken to Tullamore Hospital with injuries which he said thankfully they weren’t life threatening. He explained that the motorcyclist had suffered a broken foot.
A solicitor for the accused said aside from falling asleep there weren’t any other aggravating factors. He said the car wasn’t speeding and was insured and in good condition.
“He attended for a voluntary statement and he set out what occurred,” the solicitor said.
He explained that his client was living in Portarlington and had been working at an Aldi warehouse in Naas, Co Kildare. He said the man had worked eight days in a row prior to the collision.
“In his statement to Garda Cleary it shows he was tormented by it,” he said.
He said the man was originally from Poland and has lived in Ireland for seven years. He described his client as a hardworking man who was no longer with Aldi in Naas but was now working for a logistics company.
“It is a serious matter and as the court quite rightly pointed out, could have been more serious,” he conceded.
The solicitor said his client understood there was a mandatory disqualification for dangerous driving which he said would cause him difficulties. He asked that the court take into account his early plea of guilty and he said “he fell asleep at the wheel” but there were no aggravating factors in the offending.
Judge Nicola Andrews asked how many days in a row the man had been working and what hours he was doing.
The solicitor said his client had worked eight days in a row on shifts between 6am and 1pm.
He appealed to the judge to only impose a two year driving ban and to deal with the case as leniently as possible.
“What occurred here is very serious and potentially could have been devastating,” said Judge Andrews.
She decided to put the case back for a few weeks in order to consider the matter more carefully. She adjourned the case to June 11 for finalisation.