Courts

Driver who hit cyclist with car door ordered to pay €6,000 damages

Craig Lancaster denied being at scene of incident on Dublin’s Aungier Street

A cyclist in Dublin. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

Simone Smith
Mon Jul 1 2019 - 15:21

The driver of a car who hit a cyclist with his door, knocking him into the air and against a bus, has been ordered to pay €6,000 damages.

John Murphy of Dunboyne, Co Meath told Judge James O’Donoghue in the Circuit Civil Court that he had been riding in the cycle lane on Aungier Street, Dublin on December 3rd, 2014 when he was hit by a car door.

He told his barrister, Alan Dodd, that the driver of the car, Craig Lancaster of Cherrywood Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, had written down his details, including the car's registration and his contact number.

Mr Murphy told Mr Dodd he was certain Mr Lancaster had been the man he had spoken to at the scene.

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He said the incident had taken place close to a loading bay of a Tesco store. Mr Lancaster had told him he was a manager in Tesco and had apologised for what had occurred.

Mr Lancaster told Judge O’Donoghue he had not been present at the scene. He said although the registration of the vehicle Mr Murphy had on the piece of paper belonged to his mother’s car, he had not been the one to write it down.

He said the handwriting was not his and the last part of the address had been incorrect as it stated he lived in Clondalkin and not Ballyfermot.

Mr Lancaster said he had been a manager in Tesco at the time but in the Camden Street store and this had been where he had been at the time of the incident.

Judge O’Donoghue said he considered both gentleman to be truthful and respectful but there had been too much detail in Mr Murphy’s account for it not to be true.

He said the incident had been shocking for Mr Murphy as he had been knocked into the air and hit against a bus. He had been wearing a helmet but still had some injury to his right shoulder and hand.

Judge O’Donoghue awarded Mr Murphy €9,000 general damages but subtracted a third of the sum for having waited two years to take action.

There had been no way anyone could have foreseen this case arriving years later and it had put Mr Lancaster at a disadvantage.

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