The family of a mother and daughter, who were killed instantly when a runaway circus trailer collided with their car near Galway city last April, spoke of their grief at Galway Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. Joan Reilly and her daughter, Siobhán, were killed on the N17, at Cloonacauneen, Tuam Road, on April 6th last.
A circus trailer, which had no safety clip fitted to its hitch and which had no emergency braking system, became detached from a trailer carrying two elephants, which in turn was being pulled by a circus lorry. It was driven by Francisco Daria (24), a Venezuelan national with addresses in Cherry Wood Park, Dublin, and San Lodovico, Sio Saliceto, Italy. He pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving which caused the women's deaths.
Circus boss Stephen Courtney (35), Earl Street, Longford town, pleaded guilty to a single charge, that he intentionally or recklessly engaged in conduct which allowed a trailer to be attached to a lorry unit and another trailer in a defective manner, thereby causing the trailer to become detached while being driven on a public highway, creating a substantial risk of death or serious injury to other people.
Mrs Reilly's husband, Seán Reilly, and their four sons were present in court. Anne Reilly, daughter-in-law, read a victim impact report. "Our lives have been destroyed by the killing of our mother and sister. We cannot put into words the grief and upheaval we are going through. We have lost the person, our mother, who set the standards in our lives. We idolised our darling mother. She was not only a mother, but a friend."
Judge Raymond Groarke adjourned sentencing to December 21st.