The husband of a woman killed after she was hit by a delivery van has asked: “How many more people have to die until driver behaviour changes?”
Ann Watters never regained consciousness after suffering head injuries when delivery driver David McCann hit her with his van. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard McCann was not looking where he was going when he took a right turn on to the road Ms Watters was crossing.
CCTV footage played in court showed she was halfway across the two-way street as McCann began making the turn. The van cut the corner of the junction and was across the centre of the street when it fatally hit Ms Watters, the court heard.
McCann (49), of Mary Aikenhead House, James’s Street, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Ms Watters (née McGlynn) in Ringsend, Dublin, on April 20th, 2024.
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Garda Gráinne Smith told Brian Storan, prosecuting, that at the time of the collision, the van was recorded as travelling at about 13mph (20.9km/h), and the van was in good working order.
She said McCann had been called into work that day when a colleague, who normally covered that part of the city, was unable to work. The defendant was unfamiliar with Ringsend and was using Google maps and looking around at street signs to find his destination.
CCTV played in court showed that as he took a right turn on to the adjoining road, he was not looking at the road ahead. McCann was turning his head back over his right shoulder to look at a sign at the time of impact.
Ms Watters was on her way to work when the van struck her. The dashcam footage records the sound of a loud thud and McCann then saying “Oh, oh my god” before getting out of the van.
Afterwards McCann was seen pacing back and forth and was in a panic and distressed state with his head in his hands saying: “It’s all my fault,” the court heard.
Paramedics arrived within minutes but Ms Watters had no pulse. She was brought to St Vincent’s hospital and found to have severe bleeding in the space around her brain. She was pronounced dead three days later.
McCann co-operated with the Garda investigation and gave investigators an extensive account of what happened. He accepted full responsibility, Garda Smith told the court.
Garda Smith outlined details of McCann’s previous convictions. These include a number of road traffic offences, including breaking a 60km/h speed limit in 2016, driving without insurance in 2015, 2003 and 2002.
David Staunton, defending, told the court his client came from a law-abiding, pro-social family but he fell into drug addiction in his 20s.
Counsel said his client’s employer is standing by him and regards him as a valued employee. He said his client was deeply remorseful.
“If he could turn back the hands of time for those seconds just to make sure he looked, he would do so without qualification,” counsel said. Mr Staunton said this was a momentary lapse of awareness.
Reading from his victim-impact statement, Gary Watters, the victim’s husband, said the day of the collision was the beginning of a nightmare that endures today.
“We have been together for over 30 years. She was my best friend and confidante. We rarely over all those years spent a night apart.
“Ann was my life. She was beautiful and happy and clever and hard working,” he said.
“Some mornings finding the reason to get out of bed is difficult. I’m not really living life any more,” he said.
Mr Watters told the court that as a result of stress associated with the tragedy he developed hypertension and suffered a stroke last September.
“There were 174 deaths on Irish roads in 2024. Of this figure there were 33 pedestrian deaths. How many more people have to die until driver behaviour changes?”
Judge Orla Crowe adjourned finalisation of the sentence to next Monday. She remanded McCann on continuing bail until then.
