The mother of a young man killed in a two-vehicle collision involving a lorry and a car in Co Roscommon last year has said that they are "paying the ultimate price" for a truck driver's dangerous driving and she has appealed to all commercial drivers to put safety above all else.
Lorry driver Shaun Curran of Dobhar Láir, An Bun Beag, in Co Donegal, was jailed for five years with the final 12 months suspended for dangerous driving causing the death of 24-year-old Rian Sheridan, a native of Cluainluáin, Renvyle, Co Galway.
Curran, 32, was also disqualified from driving for seven years.
The crash occurred at Newtown, Roscommon, on the main Athlone to Roscommon road on 27 March 2024.
Mr Sheridan was returning from football training at the time of the collision.
At the sentencing hearing last week, the court heard how the truck that Curran was driving had a blowout as a result of a defective tyre which caused the fully loaded lorry to swerve to the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.
Evidence was given from the forensic collision investigation which found the front tyre was badly worn and unroadworthy.
CCTV footage also showed that Curran had checked the tyre twice on the date of the collision.
The court also heard that Curran had travelled 814kms on the day, had not taken proper breaks and had four speeding infringements.
Sergeant Ronan O'Meara told the court that Curran was speeding just before the crash, travelling at 93km/h.
In Ireland, the standard speed limit for HGVs is 80km/h on all roads except motorways, where it is 90km/h.
The hearing also heard that Curran had made admissions around breaches of tachograph data, which records a driver's activity including driving time, rest periods and vehicle speed and distance.
The court was told that Curran had used another driver's tachograph card on the day of the crash and that card was in the truck at the time of the crash.
Judge said tragic death is 'shattering to those left behind'
At sentencing, Judge Kenneth Connolly jailed Curran for five years suspending the final 12 months. He also disqualified him from driving for seven years from today's date.
Judge Connolly said the tragic death of Mr Sheridan "was completely avoidable" if due adherence to the road traffic laws and due diligence in the maintenance and operation of a lorry had been observed by Curran.
He said "there is a particularly heavy onus upon the driver of such a large and powerful vehicle to ensure that not only his driving is careful and prudent but that his vehicle is roadworthy".
He said in this case the vehicle trailer was fully laden with alcohol, turning such a vehicle when it lost control, into "a lethal force".
"There is undoubtedly such a duty on every motorist, but the court considers it to be heightened in this case with reference to the vehicle and load in question."
Addressing the Sheridan family, Judge Connolly once again sympathised and said that he is satisfied that society has been robbed of a very special young man.
"I have no doubt the loss of this fine young man has been shattering to those left behind," he said.
"This loss can never be replaced and accordingly the adverse effects of this offending will be felt and endured life-long."
Family say they are paying ultimate price
Speaking afterwards Rian's mother, Maria Sheridan, said her family are paying the ultimate price for Curran's dangerous driving.
"The past 15 months have been the saddest and loneliest time in the lives of our family, Rian's girlfriend, Aine, his close friends and community," she said.
"Our only son, Rian Sheridan's death on 27 March 2024 at the age of 24 years was completely avoidable.
"Had the owner and driver of the articulated truck, Shaun Curran, followed safe driving behaviour and acted responsibly as a road user, Rian would be still alive.
"The consequences of his actions have changed our lives forever and devastated our family," she said.
She said professional drivers of commercial trucks have a heightened responsibility to every other road user and pedestrian when they get behind the wheel of a truck.
"These vehicles are capable of causing a higher level of harm should a collision occur whilst at the same time they are better protected given the height of the cab and the structure of the vehicle," she said.
"Sentencing must send a stronger message to deter those drivers who break the law, that there is a high price to pay for their actions.
"It will never bring our son back. We are paying the ultimate price for Shaun Curran's dangerous driving" Ms Sheridan said.
Family solicitor Roger Murray said that there has to be a significant deterrent for people who are in a position of power on the road.
"Drivers of commercial vehicles have a heightened responsibility to other road users and they were the judges words and they echoed very much the family sentiments," he said.
"So they hope that the message goes out to those commercial drivers and the users of heavy goods vehicles that they have the height of responsibility to take care and observe the rules of the road."
Victim impact statements
In her victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing last week, Ms Sheridan told the court that her son had "lost his life in unnecessary and violent circumstances".
"There is no comeback from this," she said.
"A mother to lose a child is not a natural thing, I will never get to hug or kiss him, never get to chat again," she said.
Addressing Curran directly, she said: "Whatever the consequences you face that will never be enough.
"Rian had one precious life ahead of him and me and my family will never be the same again."
Finian Sheridan said he could not have asked for a better son, adding that part of him died that night with Rian.
He said that what happened was not an accident but the result of an "irresponsible and inconsiderate decision".
He said his son had lost his life "in circumstances which were avoidable".
"Society should not accept that. It is totally unacceptable that as a driver he put other road users at risk when he shouldn't have," he said.
Rian's sister, Ciara, said that her family adored their little brother and that since he died, have been living their worst nightmare. His sister, Doireann, said that Rian was a gift to the family and his loss is felt deeply by everyone.
Another sister, Aebhín, said that Rian was one of the "kindest, most positive people" she knew and it breaks her heart to think about the future stolen from him.
His partner Áine Griffin, said the pair had met at the Fleadh Cheoil in Sligo in 2015 and shared a love for music. She spoke about their plans to travel, before settling down and having a family.
"He was my morning, noon and night," she said.
She recalled the day of the crash and said she spoke to Rian on the phone, as she was in Dublin and he was on his way to football training at Kilbride GAA.
She spoke of the panic she felt when she received an automatic SOS text from Mr Sheridan's phone and thought he had come across a crash, but she said when she tried to call him, there was no answer.
"That was the worst night of my life," she said.
The sentencing hearing last week was told that Curran who had a "fledgling business" with three trucks on the road, all of which he had been repaying loans for, had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
He had alerted gardaí to dashcam footage from the truck and had made admissions around the misuse of the tachograph.
The court heard that he expressed remorse about what had happened, and an apology was read to the court in which he said he takes full responsibility for what happened.
Judge Connolly said there is some genuine remorse evident on the part of Curran, however, he said this is something he refuses to call an accident given the elements of inevitability for something most awful to occur as a result of deliberate choices and decisions of the accused.
"This loss of life is something that will also remain with him for his lifetime, but his future actions may, perhaps lessen his burden. This, again, is his choice," the judge said.
