Accused in fatal collision gave false name in hospital, trial told

A man accused of causing a fatal two-car collision gave a false name while being admitted to hospital after the incident and said he had injured his leg in a fall, a jury has heard.

It is alleged that Michael Jones was driving an Audi A3 which broke a red light at speed before crashing into the side of a Mitsubishi Colt driven by Hong Qing Qu. The collision happened about 1am on November 17th, 2015, at the top of a slip road close to Blanchardstown shopping centre in west Dublin.

Mr Jones, a professional roofer from Whitestown Drive, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Hong at Blanchardstown Road South on November 17th, 2015.

On day seven of his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Bernadette Mulvaney, a clinical nurse manager at James Connolly hospital, said she encountered Mr Jones on the ground outside the entrance to the emergency unit.

Ms Mulvaney said she asked his name and Mr Jones said it was Michael McDonagh. When asked how his leg had been injured Mr Jones said he had fallen.

She said with the aid of a colleague they attempted to stand Mr Jones up but were unable to do so. She said his ankle was limp and moving from side to side.

Sgt Stephen Byrne told the jury he interviewed Mr Jones in the hospital on November 18th, 2015, the day after the incident occurred. A written record of that interview was read to the jury.

During the interview Mr Jones said: “I was going down the road and the car came out of nowhere.” He said the light had been orange when he drove through the junction where the crash occurred.

Garda evidence

Mr Jones said he did not know how fast he had been driving, he was unsure what the exact speed limit had been on the road and that he could not say whether he had been driving over that limit.“It was a freak accident, I’ll say a prayer for him,” he said.

Mr Jones said he did not leave the scene after the collision, but that he had collapsed on the street and his friends had carried him away and driven him to a hospital. He said his friends had dropped him at the door of A&E.

Sgt Byrne also told the jury that he followed a silver Volkswagen Passat as it exited Connolly hospital at high speed. He saw an orange jacket thrown from the passenger window of the car as it drove away.

Mr Jones said during the interview that he had been wearing an orange jacket that day and that it had been taken off him by his friends on the way to the hospital.

Kevin Mooney told the jury that shortly before the collision he was driving home and was passed at high speed by a Passat and a silver Audi A3. He said he had gotten the impression that the cars were either racing or possibly fleeing something.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.