A JURY has heard how a Lithuanian truck driver was pulled under an accelerating van in a hit-and-run incident and later died in hospital from the serious injuries he suffered.
The jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court also heard that the man on trial for manslaughter arising out of the incident admitted to gardaí he was driving the van.
Egidijus Aukstuolis told prosecuting counsel Fergal Foley that the fatal incident happened after the deceased, Robertus Jusius, along with the witness and another man, tried to stop a group of people from stealing diesel from two Scania trucks parked outside their apartment at Lanesborough Crescent, Finglas, Dublin
Mr Aukstuolis said through an interpreter that his friend Mr Genitors Dunks woke him at about 10pm on April 5th, 2006, to tell him there were people stealing the diesel. He said he dressed quickly and ran outside with Mr Dunks and the deceased. They each grabbed metal tubing from the apartment's vacuum cleaner before leaving the building, but he denied, when pressed by defence counsel, that they intended to attack the people stealing the diesel. He said the metal tubing was for self-defence.
Mr Aukstuolis said the group of people, four men and one boy, saw the Lithuanians coming and jumped into the van, which started to accelerate towards them. He said he didn't see his friend Mr Jusius go under the vehicle but saw him "covered in blood" when the van drove out of the estate.
Dion Rafferty, a Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance man who attended the scene, told Mr Foley that Mr Jusius had "a lot of bad injuries, was covered in a lot of blood and was drifting in and out of conscious". He said Mr Jusius's condition deteriorated in the ambulance on the way to the Mater hospital; that he had "blood all down his left side"; and showed signs of collapsed lung.
Charlie McDonagh (21), Belcamp Lane, Priorswood, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter through dangerous driving and causing the death of Mr Jusius.
Det Garda John O'Hehir told Mr Foley the accused arranged to meet gardaí for interview at Whitehall Garda station the day after the incident. He said Mr McDonagh admitted he was driving the red Ford Transit van that killed Mr Jusius.
Mr McDonagh said in his statement, read in court by Mr Foley, that he "saw a man coming with a big bar" and panicked, saying: "I didn't know what was happening, I just kept going." He said he didn't know he was dragging Mr Jusius and didn't speed out of the estate but took it "nice and easy" at 45km/h. The trial continues today