A 32-year-old Donegal lorry driver has been sentenced to five years in jail, with the final 12 months suspended, for dangerous driving causing the death of 24-year-old Rian Sheridan in what has been described as an avoidable tragedy.
Shaun Curran, of Middle Dore, Bunbeg, Co Donegal, was sentenced by Judge Kenneth Connolly at Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday.
Speaking afterwards, the victim’s mother, Maria Sheridan, said her family was “paying the ultimate price” for Mr Curran’s actions.
The court heard that Mr Sheridan from Renvyle, Co Galway, died after a defective tyre on the defendant’s lorry blew out and veered into the path of his car on March 27th, 2024, at Newtown, Roscommon.
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At the sentencing hearing last week, evidence was given that the front tyre of the lorry was badly worn and unroadworthy. CCTV footage showed Mr Curran had checked the tyre twice on the date of the collision.
It was further stated that the defendant travelled 814km on the day, had not taken proper breaks, had four speeding infringements and had changed the driver’s tachograph card on the vehicle. He had been using another person’s card at the time of the collision.
Outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Ms Sheridan, supported by family members, said : “The past 15 months have been the saddest and loneliest time in the lives of our family, Rian’s girlfriend Aine, his close friends and community. Our only son, Rian Sheridan’s death on March 27th, 2024, at the age of 24 years was completely avoidable.
“Had the owner and driver of the articulated truck, Shaun Curran, followed safe driving behaviour and acted responsibly as a road user, Rian would be still alive.”
She said the consequences of his actions had changed and devastated their lives and noted that professional commercial truck drivers had a heightened responsibility to every other road user.
“These vehicles are capable of causing a higher level of harm should a collision occur, whilst at the same time they are better protected given the height of the cab and the structure of the vehicle,” she said.
“Shaun Curran drove his artic truck with a defective, unroadworthy tyre, used his own and another driver’s tachograph card in addition to exceeding the legal speed limit while the truck and trailer was fully loaded.”
She said sentencing must send a strong message of deterrence to drivers who break the law.
“It will never bring our son back. We are paying the ultimate price for Shaun Curran’s dangerous driving,” Ms Sheridan said.
In his ruling, Judge Connolly said Mr Sheridan was blameless for the collision and that it was “repugnant to the court that the accused persists in his denial of the defective condition” of the tyre.
He noted that the defendant had been travelling at 93km/hwhen the maximum permitted speed was 80km/h, and said there was wilful evasion of rest hours.
He said Mr Sheridan’s death was “completely avoidable” and the actions of the accused demonstrated a disregard for the safety of road users.
He imposed a headline sentence of seven years but took mitigating factors into account, including an early guilty plea and a good work history and personal circumstances.
He said there was “some genuine remorse evident” and no criminal intent. But he said: “This is something I refuse to call an accident, given the elements of inevitability for something most awful to occur as a result of the deliberate choices and decisions of the accused.”
He reduced the headline sentence from seven to five years and suspended the final 12 months, and also disqualified Mr Curran from driving for seven years.
