Farmer who crashed quad shouldn’t have been driving due to epilepsy, court told
In sentencing, Judge Emile Daly warned that the defendant (53) should not have been driving under any circumstances, given his health condition
A Malin Head farmer who crashed an uninsured quad bike should not have been driving in the first place due to an underlying medical condition, a court has heard.
Stephen McLaughlin, of Lower Braghey, Malin Head, appeared before Carndonagh District Court sitting in Buncrana, where he pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and driving without a licence.
Sergeant Conor Mulkerns outlined the facts of the case, telling the court that gardaí were alerted to a road traffic collision on the evening of August 30, 2025, at approximately 9.12pm in Culkeeny, Malin.
The incident involved a red Honda TRX520 quad, and Mr McLaughlin (53) was identified as the driver.
When gardaí arrived at the scene, Mr McLaughlin was being treated by paramedics and was not in a position to speak to them at that time.
Follow-up inquiries were carried out the following month when Garda Tara McGrory called to his home on September 22, 2025. She requested that he produce a certificate of insurance or an exemption at a Garda station.
The court heard that Mr McLaughlin told Garda McGrory he did not hold a driving licence and confirmed that the quad bike he had been driving was not insured.
Defence solicitor Carrie Hegarty said her client is in receipt of disability allowance of €250 per week and suffers from epilepsy, for which he is on medication. She said it is believed that an epileptic seizure may have been the cause of the crash.
Ms Hegarty told the court that the quad bike is owned by Mr McLaughlin’s sister and that he had been using it to assist with farm work.
However, she acknowledged that her client accepts he should not have been driving at all due to his medical condition, nor should he have been operating a vehicle without insurance or a licence.
Ms Hegarty added that Mr McLaughlin was fortunate that no one else was injured in the incident and emphasised that he has no previous convictions. He accepts his wrongdoing, she said, and recognises the seriousness of the situation.
In sentencing, Judge Emile Daly said the defendant should not have been driving under any circumstances, given his health condition. She imposed a two-year disqualification for driving without insurance and fined him €250 on that charge.
An additional fine of €100 was imposed for driving without a licence, bringing the total penalty to €350. Mr McLaughlin was given four months to pay the fines.
The judge reiterated that Mr McLaughlin should not be driving due to his epilepsy and warned him of the potential dangers associated with doing so.