Gardaí last night again appealed for a driver who left the scene of a fatal accident in which a convicted killer fell out of his car and was struck by another vehicle, to come forward.
Tony O’Brien (31) was a back-seat passenger in a Toyota Avensis being driven along the N69 road near Kildimo in Co Limerick when he was killed at 1am on Saturday .
Originally from Limerick city, O’Brien was previously jailed for seven years for the manslaughter of a 23-year-old man who died after he was assaulted by three men in Limerick in May 2006.
It is understood Mr O’Brien was returning to Limerick from Kerry where he had been socialising with friends and there are suggestions he may have opened the door of the car to be sick when he fell out.
After tumbling from the car on the new section of the N69 road at Bolane, Mr O’Brien was struck by an oncoming BMW car travelling in the opposite direction.
The driver of the BMW car attempted to take evasive action and remained at the scene, but the driver of the car in which Mr O’Brien was travelling kept going.
He returned briefly to the scene and shouted at the other motorist that he had killed his friend before fleeing in the direction of Limerick city.
The driver of the BMW, a 67-year-old local man, was not injured but was said to have been traumatised by the incident.
A burnt out Avensis believed to the car Mr O’Brien fell out of was found on Saturday in the Kennedy Park area of Limerick city.
Anyone who may have seen the 99 WH registration light blue Toyota Avensis is asked to contact Newcastle West Garda station on 069-20650.
Gardaí believe there was a third person in the car and are hoping to speak to both men.
Unprovoked attack
Mr O’Brien was jailed for seven years in 2010 for the manslaughter of Keith Ryan (23) at Fernbank, O’Callaghan Strand, Limerick, on May 25th, 2006.
Mr Ryan choked to death on his own blood after being stamped, punched and kicked in the head in an unprovoked attack by three assailants.
At a previous trial in 2007, O’Brien had denied the manslaughter, but was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
However, a retrial was ordered in November 2009 after the Court of Criminal Appeal ruled the conviction unsafe.
On the eighth day of the retrial in 2010 O’Brien asked to be re-arraigned and pleaded guilty to the manslaughter.