A JURY has heard that a young man drove at speed past a fireman and flashing lights before knocking down and killing two members of the emergency services as they attended the scene of a crash.
At the opening of his trial yesterday, Niall Shannon (20) of Leanmore, Ballylongford, Co Kerry, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Garda Brian Kelleher and fireman Mike Liston in Co Limerick on February 25th, 2007.
The carpentry apprentice also pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving with excess alcohol and to having two bald tyres on the front of his car on the same date.
Addressing the jury of five men and seven women at Limerick Court yesterday, John O'Kelly SC, prosecuting, said that they would hear evidence during the trial of Mr Shannon's "very bad driving", which he said claimed the lives of the two emergency workers.
He told the jurors that the fatal crash happened at about 5.10am as members of the emergency services were attending the scene of an earlier incident between Foynes and Askeaton.
"A car driven by Niall Shannon came upon the scene of an earlier accident and he knocked down and killed two people - a guard and a fireman," he said.
Mr O'Kelly said that gardaí, fire and ambulance personnel were at the scene of an earlier incident in which a car had overturned, when the fatal crash happened.
He told the jury they would hear evidence that Mr Shannon had either ignored or not seen a number of flashing lights and a fireman who was positioned to warn oncoming traffic.
"On the Foynes side, there was a flashing light on the road and a fireman with a luminous stick. These were located at around 130 metres from the scene," he said.
Mr O'Kelly told the jury that the defendant did not stop as he approached the fireman and flashing lights.
"The evidence will be that the firefighter saw and heard a car coming in the distance and that he tried to flag it down, but the car did not stop," he said before describing how Garda Kelleher and Mr Liston were struck by the Audi car moments later.
He said that Mr Shannon's car struck the open door of a fire engine before hitting the two men who were on the road near the fire engine.
"Garda Kelleher was thrown 30 metres into the air and Mr Liston landed on a wall," said Mr O'Kelly who added that another fireman, who was also hit, was not seriously injured.
The jurors were told to ignore whatever they had heard about the case and to base their verdict on the evidence that they would hear during the trial.
"Put out of your mind anything you might have heard and ignore whatever anyone might have told you," Mr O'Kelly said.
Members of Garda Kelleher's and Mr Liston's families were in court yesterday as were colleagues and friends of both men.
Members of Mr Shannon's family also sat together in the public gallery of the packed courtroom.
The trial is expected to last up to 10 days.