Monumental error of judgement caused Kilkenny road crash court told

Enda Keane, Ballycleggan House, Ninemilehouse, was told he was fortunate he and the driver of the other car were ‘here’ and ‘well’ following his “monumental error of judgement,” by the presiding judge.

Garda Janet Gough gave evidence in court that an accident occurred at Monroe, Knocktopher on June 27, 2025, at about 6.30pm.

Two cars, going in opposite directions, collided, the garda said.

Crossed Line

Mr Keane’s vehicle had crossed a continuous white line onto the opposite side of the road, into the path of an oncoming car, causing the collision.

Both vehicles ended up turned around on the road, facing the opposite direction they had originally been travelling.

The female driver of the second car had to be cut from her vehicle by the fire service, the garda told the court.

The woman had x-rays taken however she only suffered soft tissue injuries.

Mr Keane suffered no injuries and his condition was described as being ‘fine’ at the scene.

He was fully cooperative with the gardaí at the scene.

Drug Test

Garda Gough said Mr Keane did fail a roadside drug test but a follow-up comprehensive blood test, performed at the garda station, was returned negative from analysis, meaning the roadside test had been a false negative.

Inspector Alma Molloy informed the court that a civil matter related to the incident was ‘still in the air’ but was expected to be dealt with in due course.

Solicitor Alex Rafter apologised on behalf of his client to the court and the injured party.

Swerved

He said Mr Keane had been go-karting nearby for two hours and was driving a work van. He “momentarily looked at his phone.” When he saw the other vehicle he immediately swerved back in to his own side of the road.

Mr Keane has bluetooth in his own car but not in his work vehicle. He is 28 and an electrician. He drives for his job.

Judge Geraldine Carthy said Mr Keane was “very fortunate we are all here and we are all well” and that there were no significant injuries caused by the collision.

Mitigating factors in sentencing were Mr Keane’s guilty plea, his acknowledgement of the seriousness of the incident and that he had no previous convictions. She also counted his apology.

“You made a monumental error of judgement by looking at your phone,” Judge Carthy told the defendant, saying he could have caused a serious collision.

The judge noted the injured party was in court and it was good that she was there to see the proceedings and that she was well.

Mr Keane was convicted of careless driving and fined €1,000.

He was also disqualified from driving for six months, to begin in January.

The judge observed that “a salutary lesson has been learned.”