Tractor driver fined for Ballintra collision that gave cyclist ‘serious injuries’

A man was fined €250 at Donegal District Court for driving a tractor without due care or attention at an incident in Ballintra, which caused “serious injuries” to a cyclist. 

Ronan Molloy, 25, of Mullanmore, Glenties, Donegal, was given five months to pay the fine by Judge Éiteáin Cunningham at the hearing held at Ballyshannon Courthouse, but he was not disqualified from driving. 

Judge Cunningham found Molloy contrary to Section 52 (1) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (as substituted by Section 4 of the Road Traffic (No 2) Act 2011).

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Recounting the incident which occurred at Drumnacroil, Ballintra, on September 8, 2024, Molloy’s solicitor, Francis Gillespie, told the court: “My client was driving a tractor and was employed by a local farmer. He observed the cyclist was approaching in the opposite direction. It clearly was an incorrect calculation. His vision was obscured.

“When he became aware of the collision, he came back to the assistance of the injured party. He didn’t try to drive or get away from the seriousness.”

In giving her decision, Judge Cunningham said that “serious injuries were inflicted in relation to this matter” and that “more care needs to be taken.”