Man is jailed for crash that left retired GP with horrific injuries

A man whose reckless driving while under the influence of drugs left a retired Mayo GP with catastrophic and life-altering injuries has been jailed.

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, and he had taken the car without his mother’s consent.

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.

Dr Carney sustained life-changing brain trauma and devastating physical injuries. He is currently in a nursing home in Galway with no hope of any improvement in his condition.

Gda Deborah Gilroy told the court that after midday on June 14, 2023, Gardaí were called to the scene of a collision between a car and a cyclist close to Kelly’s Tractor Garage along the N84 in Ballyheane.

CCTV showed Dr Carney exiting a side road and travelling south on the hard shoulder in the direction of Ballyheane before his bicycle was struck.

The force of the impact sent his bicycle into the garden of a house and Dr Carney was left lying in the gateway of the same property. Sweeney left the scene but returned five minutes later.

CCTV from filling stations in Ballinrobe, Ballintubber, Ballyheane, and a Partry pub captured Sweeney and his vehicle. A witness reported that the defendant's Toyota Avensis and a BMW X5 had overtaken each other a number of times before the collision occurred. Gardaí were unable to establish a link between the vehicles.

Sweeney was overtaking the BMW when he mowed down Dr Carney. Gardaí estimate he was travelling at an average of 115km per hour from when he was first captured on CCTV to when he ran over Dr Carney.

The accused failed a roadside drug test after cannabis and cocaine were detected. A test in the Garda station later revealed the presence of cannabis but not cocaine.

Sweeney had no driving licence, no insurance and was driving a dangerously defective vehicle. A Garda inspection of the Toyota Avensis discovered a corroded brake disc. Gardaí said the accused had to be aware of the issue as the car made a loud growling noise when driven.

Dr Carney, a grandfather of 16, from Mountain View, Castlebar, suffered traumatic brain injuries and multiple breaks, including fractures to his sternum, head and neck.

Sweeney has four previous convictions and was convicted for drug possession and driving without insurance in September 2023 while on bail on this matter. Convictions for driving without an L-plate and driving while unaccompanied were recorded three months before his vehicle struck Dr Carney.

The defendant is unemployed and on disability.

Senior counsel Bernard Madden, representing the accused, said his client took a mixture of drugs, prescription medication, and alcohol the day before the crash. Sweeney took a valium tablet that was beside the gearstick in the aftermath of the collision to “settle his nerves". The court heard that the defendant tried drugs for the first time at 18 and has used cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA and cannabis.

At the original sentencing hearing, Dr Carney’s daughter Brenda delivered a brave and eloquent victim impact statement on behalf of her dad and the family.

Brenda said her father 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.

Brenda said her father’s “soul and 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.” 

Sweeney was remanded in custody in October and the case was adjourned until last week for a probation report.

His counsel read a letter of apology from the defendant into the court. He said he understood the devastation and pain he caused and sought forgiveness.

“I work towards being a better person," Sweeney said. 

Judge Eoin Garavan said the collision was “entirely avoidable and entirely unnecessary". 

“It was down to the recklessness of the man before the court,” he stated.

The judge said Sweeney and the unknown driver of the BMW had engaged in a “speed game” on the road and the defendant was unable to stop as he overtook the car on a broken white line and careered into Dr Carney.

The court heard Sweeney had been the recipient of €35,000 following an accident when he was 18. However, he spent the entire amount in the space of two years on drugs and his lifestyle.

Judge Garavan said there was a “collection of deadly aggravating factors” in the case but he believed Sweeney’s remorse to be genuine and that he did not go out that day to hurt somebody.

Judge Garavan imposed a five-year prison sentence, suspending the final year. Sweeney was disqualified from driving for 10 years.

Upon his release, he is required to carry out 200 hours of community service.

The Carney family issued a short statement as sentencing was passed.

“On behalf of Paul and his family, we would like to thank Judge Garavan, the Gardaí, and the Courts Service for their time, consideration and professionalism which was shown to us at all times throughout this ordeal.”