A LOOSE horse on the road near Macroom was hit by a passing motorist causing ‘considerable damage’ to the vehicle, a recent sitting of Macroom District Court has heard.
BY DAVID FORSYTHE
Court presenter sergeant Trish O’Sullivan said the incident occurred at Lower Codrum, Macroom at 3.20pm on February 27th, 2024. The motorist was driving along the road when a loose horse crossed their path. The motorist could not avoid the animal and the collision caused considerable damage to the car and the animal was injured and bleeding as a result.
The owner of the horse, Jimmy O’Driscoll, 32, of Lower Codrum, Macroom, accepted responsibility for the animal being loose on the road. Defence solicitor Jack Purcell said that the horse was tethered in a nearby field but had ‘bolted’ and broke loose and got out onto the road. He said that Mr O’Driscoll did not have any insurance that would cover the incident.
The court was told that the driver of the car had to pay for the repair of the damage and Mr O’Driscoll had not compensated the injured party.
Mr O’Driscoll had 84 previous convictions mostly for road traffic offences as well as public order, theft and intoxication in public.
Judge John King said that Mr O’Driscoll would have to compensate the injured party for the repair costs and for any losses as a result of the incident.
He asked gardaí to find out from the injured party the total cost of the incident and adjourned the case until January 15th to enable the accused to gather some funds and make proposals on the payment of compensation.
