A Dublin man who knocked down and killed a young mother after falling asleep at the wheel has been jailed for two years.
Anthony Handley of Whitethorn Grove, Artane, Dublin knocked Olivia Dunne down while she was out for a walk with her baby in January 2014.
Olivia Dunne, a 31-year-old primary school teacher, was out for a walk with her 15 week old baby Eabha when tragedy struck on Jan 17 2014.
Anthony Handley, who’s 64, mounted a footpath near the entrance to Balbriggan Retail Park.
She died instantly. Her daughter survived but suffered permanent scarring and now walks with a limp.
Mr. Handley had slept for just four hours the night before and an investigation concluded he must have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Olivia’s husband Ciaran didn’t attend today’s hearing. The court heard he never wants to set eyes on the person who caused the death of his childhood sweetheart.
Judge Patrick McCartan accepted there were no additional aggravating factors like alcohol, illicit drugs or excessive speed but said his failure to address his fatigue while driving had to be taken into consideration.
In her Victim Impact Statement, Olivia’s sister Caroline described January 17th 2014 as a bright, sunny and warm day. Their family was normal that morning – happy and close-knit. “By lunchtime, it was destroyed”, she said – Olivia was gone and Eabha was left fighting for her little life.
The driver of a car travelling behind Mr. Handley that afternoon said it just took off “like a rocket” without warning. He said he could see a pram and heard the bang from the crash. He told Gardai at no point did he see his brake lights come on.
Eabha, who was just 15 weeks old, ended up at the back of the vehicle. Her pram was mangled. She was securely strapped into her seat. The court heard that that, along with the immediate medical attention she received, saved her.
She was christened the following day in an Intensive Care Unit. Her christening shawl was later placed on her mother’s coffin.
Olivia’s sister described baby Eabha as their little miracle. Her survival kept the family going, she said. She said Eabha’s father Ciaran, Olivia’s husband, once told her if there had been two coffins, it’s guaranteed there would have been a third.
In handing down a two year sentence, the judge said he needed to send out a clear message that it’s a phenomenon that needs to be in the minds of all drivers and one that must be reacted to when it arises.
