Cyclist sues sister of Regency Hotel murder victim over foot injury

A cyclist has told the High Court he suffered a severe and complex injury to his foot after he was struck by a jeep driven by the sister of Regency Hotel murder victim David Byrne.

Andrew Walsh (35), a sound technician at Dublin’s Gate Theatre, also told the court on Tuesday he felt “intimidated” by two men when he was lying on the road after being knocked off his bike at Meath Street, Dublin 8 on May 19th 2011.

He claims his bicycle was struck from the rear by a Nissan Qashiqai Jeep driven by Maria Byrne of Windmill Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12.

In his action, Mr Walsh, with an address in Dublin 8, claims Ms Byrne drove in a manner which was dangerous, failed to keep a proper lookout, and failed to brake properly to avoid the collision.

The claims are fully denied by Ms Byrne.

Mr Walsh claims he suffered injuries including two fractures to his metatarsals in his right foot. The pain in his foot, and other symptoms including involuntary twitching, has persisted, he has undergone surgery and will require further surgery in the future, he claims.

Opening the case, Stephen Lanigan-O’Keeffe SC, for Mr Walsh, said, when his client was on the ground, Sadie Byrne, the mother of the defendant who was with the defendant at the time of the collision, tipped ash from a cigarette towards his client.

In his evidence, Mr Walsh said he was an extremely careful cyclist but on the date of the collision the jeep “came in on top of me”, knocking him over the bars of the bike and onto the road.

He said he suffered injuries, and rang an ambulance.

When he was on the ground a lady attempted to help him and asked if he was okay, he said. He said she left shortly afterwards after two men approached him when he was on the ground and told him to “get up” and “asked my name”.

He felt “very, very intimidated” and they were “aggressive” towards him.

One of them was smoking cannabis and attempted to put it in his mouth, he said. He also said he saw the men speaking with the defendant’s mother before the ambulance took him to hospital.

Before the accident, he had been fairly active, was in good shape and had played basketball which he can no longer do.

The complex injury he had suffered, particularly to his toes, had changed his life adversely, he said.

At times he has had to use a walking stick and fears he will be “an old man before my time.”

Under cross-examination by Vincent Foley SC, for Ms Byrne, Mr Walsh denied his version of the accident given to the court differed from versions he gave to gardaí 10 days after the incident and to his consultant engineer.

When Mr Foley put to him he had not disclosed that injuries sustained to his right foot required medical intervention in 2008, 2009, and 2010, he said he had not sought to mislead anyone.

He said he had recovered from those particular injuries and denied engaging in a pattern of not disclosing all relevant material about his medical history to the court.

The case continues before Ms Justice Bronagh O’Hanlon.