A man who pleaded guilty to careless driving following a road collision was recently handed a court fine.
Martin Gildea (46) of Caragh House, Newtown, Tramore, Co. Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle at a sitting of Waterford District Court this month. He pleaded guilty to careless driving, contrary to Section 52 of the Road Traffic Act.
Sergeant Michael Hickey told the court that at 11.50pm on 22 November 2025, Gardaí were alerted to a road traffic collision at The Mall, Waterford city. A pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle and was on the ground. Sgt. Hickey said that the accused was identified at the scene as the driver of the car, and he made full admissions to Gardaí. It was noted that the pedestrian made a full recovery.
The court heard that the accused has five previous convictions for minor road traffic matters which date back to the early 2000’s.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham highlighted that his client’s previous convictions were between 23 and 24 years ago, and that on the night of the incident, he was asked for a lift to the city by a family member.
Mr. Cunningham said after the accused dropped his family member at The Mall, he saw no cars approaching so did a U-turn. However, the pedestrian subsequently appeared behind his car while he completed the turn, which was when the collision occurred.
The solicitor highlighted that the pedestrian suffered ‘minor’ injuries and that it was a ‘stressful’ episode for his client, who also went and completed a driver awareness course of his own volition.
Judge Cheatle handed the accused a €200 fine and gave him five months to pay it.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Robyn Power
