Sneezing due to hay fever led to two car collision in Derry - court told

Andrew Doherty (30) of Carlisle Road in Derry was charged with dangerous driving and having no insurance on August 17 last year.

The court heard that after a two vehicle collision on the Northland Road at 7am on August 17 last year between a transit van driven by Doherty and a large goods vehicle, dashcam footage was obtained and showed that the van was driving on the wrong side of the road at the time.

The driver and passenger in the large goods vehicle sustained minor injuries, while Doherty's were much more severe.

Doherty was also not insured for the vehicle he was driving and had taken it without the permission of the owner, the Magistrate’s Court sitting on Friday was told.

Doherty claimed to have vague memories of the crash, saying that he suffers from hay-fever and had been sneezing a lot at the time when the collision occurred.

Defence Barrister Stephen Mooney said that the injuries suffered by Doherty in the crash were 'catastrophic', adding that dash cam footage showed that he had only been on the wrong side of the road for a few seconds due to sneezing.

The barrister told the court that Doherty had no previous convictions, had pleaded at the earliest opportunity and was remorseful over what had happened.

He was fined £600 and disqualified from driving for twelve months.