Driver so unhappy with Garda handling of crash scene he took his own photographic evidence

A SECURITY man who caused an accident at Abbeytrinity, Tuam, by pulling out from a garage forecourt was so unhappy with the way Gardai were handling the three-car crash that he went back into the garage and purchased an camera to gather his own evidence. Jacob Awoniran of 21 Rivercrest, Tuam was charged with careless driving when his case came before Tuam District Court. He was also charged with a public order offence because of his aggressive and belligerent behaviour towards Gardai dealing with the accident and witnesses at the scene. Judge Geoffrey Browne was told the defendant worked as a security man.[private] Over the limit In another unusual twist to this case, when all three drivers were breathalysed at the scene at 9 oâ€â„¢clock in the morning, one driver, not the defendant, was found to be over the alcohol limit and has since been prosecuted for this offence. Garda Conneely told the Court that when she arrived at the scene of the accident Jacob Awoniran was in a very agitated state and refused to adhere to her instructions to get in off the road and leave the investigation to her and her colleagues. He demanded that she take photographs and continued to shout and ignore her instructions to get off the road and calm down. She said he behaved in a very aggressive and threatening manner towards her and other people at the scene. James Glynn solr (defending) pleaded that his client was agitated because he felt witnesses at the scene were not providing an accurate account of what happened. It was a stressful situation for him as he felt he was being blamed in the wrong. Judge Browne viewed CCTV footage of the incident. It was the Gardaiâ€â„¢s case that the defendant pulled straight out into traffic on the N17 and as a result an oncoming motorist had to brake and collided lightly with his car. However, a third vehicle crashed into the rear of the car the defendant pulled out in front of, and this shunted her car forward, resulting in damage to all three cars. â€ËœSaw him comingâ€â„¢ Jacob Awoniran disputed this version. He said the lady saw him coming out and there was ample time and room to carry out his manoeuvre. He was surprised when she didnâ€â„¢t stop and tipped his car. However the real damage was caused when a BMW collided into her car and he blamed the BMW driver for the accident. The Court was told that all three drivers were breathalysed at the scene and the BMW driver was found to be over the limit and convicted of this offence at an earlier Court. The driver of the middle car, Clare Towey, said she was driving through Tuam on her way to Galway at about 9 am. She saw Awoniran making his way out of the forecourt but she assumed he would stop. She was surprised when he drove straight out in front of her. After the accident Awoniran jumped out of his car and began roaring at her, asking why she had hit his car. He leaned on her car in a very aggressive and intimidating manner, so much so that she was afraid to get out of her car. James Glynn said his client had a different version of events. He insisted that the BMW driver had collided into the rear of Ms Toweyâ€â„¢s car and as a result she was shunted into his clientâ€â„¢s vehicle. â€Å“Absolutely not. I saw him and he saw me but he still drove out. I had the right of way. He came right out in front of me at the last second. Iâ€â„¢m absolutely sure of that,â€Â she said. Witness Thomas Gallagher told the Court he was parked at the garage and had a clear view of what happened. He said he had no doubt Awoniran had caused the accident by pulling straight out into the road and told him so at the scene. â€Å“He was shouting and roaring. I told him to back off because he was in the wrong. In my view he was 100 per cent wrong. He drove out right in front of me,â€Â he said. Jacob Awoniran in evidence said Ms Towey slowed, so he pulled out into the yellow box. â€Å“She slowed down to let me out and the guy who was drunk rammed into her,â€Â he said. Highly frustrated at the scene He admitted he was highly frustrated at the scene and said he heard Thomas Gallagher telling the two other drivers they should speak with one voice. He said he wanted the Gardai to decide on it. Insp Mick Oâ€â„¢Dwyer put it to the defendant that he had followed another car out of the forecourt and caused the accident. He added that he was charged with a public order offence because of his behaviour towards the other people at the scene and the Gardai. Judge Browne said it appeared to him the defendant took a chance, one which a prudent driver would not have taken. He convicted Awoniran of driving without due care and attention and the public order charge was taken into account.[/private]