A truck-driver accused of killing five people by dangerous driving told gardai he must have "dozed off" at the wheel, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Two children, two nurses and a bus-driver were killed when Mr Victor Teggart's truck collided with a minibus on the N11 in Co Wicklow. The bus was bringing children to a special school.
Two witnesses said Mr Teggart swerved to avoid a car driving on the wrong side of the road when the accident happened.
Garda John Hegarty said that after Mr Teggart was arrested he told gardai he was a driver for a haulage company in Killylea, Co Armagh.
He said he went to bed at 11 p.m. the night before the accident and slept until 5 a.m. Before the accident, he had been driving for 41/2 hours and had had 45 minutes' rest.
Asked why his truck swerved to the wrong side of the road, he replied: "Blanked out, must have fallen asleep."
Garda Hegarty said Mr Teggart denied he was drinking the night before the accident but said he had been working for long hours and had been working late. "I was suffering from a bit of depression," he added.
He said he drove round a corner in the road before he saw the minibus or any other oncoming traffic. He first saw a red car and tried to avoid it but hit the minibus. He got out of his cabin and shouted to see if everyone was all right.
Garda Hegarty said Mr Teggart did not think there was any car on the road which would have forced him to take corrective action before he hit the minibus.
Asked why he veered to the wrong side of the road, he replied: "I don't know, unless I nodded off, unless I lost concentration. I can't figure it out." He said he was not on medication and did not take any tablets before his journey.
Cross-examined by Mr George Birmingham SC, defending, Garda Hegarty disagreed with statements by two other witnesses that Mr Teggart was in shock after the accident. Asked by Mr Birmingham if the defendant was distressed during questioning, Garda Hegarty replied that Mr Teggart was "concerned".
It was the second day of the trial of Mr Teggart (26), of Green Acre, Markethill Road, Co Armagh, who has pleaded not guilty to five charges of dangerous driving causing death on September 14th, 1998, at Barndarrig, Co Wicklow.
Earlier the jury heard evidence from motorists who were travelling in the area at the time of the accident. Mr Dennis Cummins said he had been driving about 180 ft behind Mr Teggart's truck when he saw a minibus coming in the opposite direction. A blue Opel car passed the minibus out and appeared to be "dancing" on the road.
The blue car crossed to the wrong side of the road, and Mr Teggart's truck turned at a 45-degree angle to avoid it.
He agreed with Mr Birmingham, in cross-examination, that he saw the blue car going out of control and into the path of the truck. He also agreed it was an emergency situation, and Mr Teggart had had to take evasive action.
Ms Elizabeth Brown said she was a front-seat passenger in Mr Cummins's car. She saw the blue car come from the other side of the road, and it looked as if it was going to hit their car head-on. The blue car swerved to the correct side of the road, and she turned to complain about the driver.
Cross-examined by Mr Birmingham, she agreed Mr Teggart's truck swerved to avoid a collision.
Mr Thomas Dunne said he saw Mr Teggart's truck "shooting" across the road and hitting the minibus. He said that at the time of the accident the truck and the minibus were the only vehicles he saw on the road.
Garda Aidan Loughnane, an expert in public service inspections for road vehicles, said the truck Mr Teggart was driving had no defects and could not have contributed to the accident.
Mr John McCullough, a forensic scientist, said Mr Teggart was driving at 48 m.p.h. at the time of the accident.
Prosecution evidence has ended before Judge Kieran O'Connor and a jury.