Dangerous driver caused horrific injuries to retired Mayo GP
Dr Paul Carney was left with catastrophic injuries.
A Mayo family has laid bare the harrowing and devastating impact of dangerous driving after a retired GP suffered catastrophic and life-altering injuries.
Dr Paul Carney, a prominent Castlebar doctor, was struck by a car while out for a cycle on June 14, 2023.
The driver who mowed him down had drugs in his system, no driving licence, no insurance, and was overtaking another car when he ploughed into the 72-year-old cyclist. His vehicle was also dangerously defective.
Patrick Sweeney, aged 20, of Claremorris Road, Ballinrobe, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to charges of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm and drug driving. The incident occurred on the N84 Ballinrobe to Castlebar Road, near Ballyheane.
Dr Carney sustained life-changing brain trauma and devastating physical injuries. He remains in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire with no hope of any improvement in his condition.
His daughter Brenda delivered a brave and eloquent victim impact statement on behalf of Dr Carney and his family.
“He can’t be here to deliver this statement himself because of the catastrophic injuries that were caused by the collision on the 14th of June, 2023. He no longer has a voice so we, his family, are his voice now,” Brenda told the court last Friday.
She said all the tremendous qualities that encapsulated her father have been ripped away.
“Before the collision, Dad had a warm, lively, loving and upbeat personality. He enjoyed his life and made the most of it with family, friends, music and sport. He was strong, fit, and healthy from all the cycling, swimming, and golf that he played. He used to love running and in his heyday, he ran the Dublin, London and New York City marathons. He thrived on the therapeutic benefits of exercise, the easy joy of gardening and the excitement of a football or rugby match, which he used to go to with his grandsons.
“He was a big family man, always so content to spend time with his wife Phyllis of more than 50 years, his two sisters Rosemarie and Moya, his five children and our spouses. His 16 grandchildren brought so much fun into his life and we are so glad to see that his lovely nature and positive attitude shines though in them all.
“Music was another big part of his life – he sang his heart out in the local choir, he played the violin and he loved the buzz of a big-name sell-out concert just as much as an intimate trad session by the fire. He was driven by human connection and was always on the go. He bonded easily with people from all walks of life, he had a wide circle of close friendships and he enjoyed an active social life,” said Brenda.
“All of these qualities that made him the man he was, are now gone,” she stated.
Brenda said her Dad was “on top of the world” on that fateful morning. He had just received a clean bill of health after going through gruelling cancer treatment.
“Life was good and he was embracing it with gusto as he always did. That morning he dropped his grandchildren to school as usual. It was a beautiful day and he planned to go for a swim after his cycle, with the wind on his back along a road he knew so well. The simple things in life that brought him so much joy.
“But then the unthinkable happened. A terrifying phone call from the Guards that turned our worlds upside down and changed our lives forever. From that day on, there will always be a before and an after,” said his daughter.
“It was his granddaughter’s first birthday that day but instead of celebrating that special milestone together as a family, we gathered at Mayo University Hospital – trying to breathe through the panic and the shock, trying to understand what had happened, and choked by the fear that he might not make it.
“Time stood still and minutes felt like days. Dad’s injuries were so severe, his life hung in the balance and survival was unlikely."
Brenda said the family were informed that Dr Carney had suffered catastrophic injuries.
“We soon learned that many of his bones were shattered, he had lost a huge amount of blood, parts of his brain were damaged, his body was broken.
“We prepared for the worst outcome but seeing the absolute agony and suffering our father has endured for the last 16 months, we now know there are fates worse than death.
“He fought so hard not to die that day, and in the weeks and months that followed. He survived, but at what cost?
“He has been through a number of complex and difficult surgeries in Dublin and for the rest of his life he will struggle with these life-altering physical injuries.
“But the worst part is the traumatic brain injury he sustained in the collision. The speed at which the car hit Dad caused permanent, cellular destruction to parts of his brain and the consequences of that are devastating.
“So many of his functions have been affected. Sensory, motor movement, cognition and mood have been damaged beyond repair. The ability to reason, to plan, to control impulses, to concentrate, to imagine what others are thinking or to empathise with what others are feeling. These are all gone. In their place, Dad is left with deep, irreversible emotional and psychological trauma, fear, loneliness, confusion, pain and grief.”
Brenda said her father’s “soul and his spark” have been taken away from him.
“He is now completely vulnerable. He will never be able to live independently and he will never return to the home that he loved and worked so hard for all his life.
“His world should have been so big and full but now it’s reduced to the four walls of a stark hospital room. He is a living corpse, stuck in a life of unimaginable suffering.”
Dr Carney’s family have been left “grieving” for the man they once knew.
“The cornerstone of our family, Dad was the glue that held us together. We were drawn to him and it was so lovely to just spend time in his company. But now, we too are broken and fractured, left with this horrible and gaping void in all of our lives.
“Nothing can bring him back or change what happened.
“Dad is living but he has no quality of life. We are grieving but we have no grave.”
