A TRUCK driver who went through a stop sign intersection, critically wounding Ireland, Munster, and Lions rugby player Conor Murray’s father, was previously convicted of drink driving, hit and run, and careless driving, according to court records.
Gerry Murray (70) was cycling home at 3 p.m. on February 7, 2023, when truck driver Seamus Hanrahan, who was towing a slurry tanker, struck him, causing Mr Murray to receive a serious brain injury.
Mr Murray, who is married to former Irish international squash player Barbara Murray, had to relearn how to walk and communicate correctly after undergoing a demanding regimen of medical therapies, the Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.
On February 7, 2023, Mr. Hanrahan (53), of Kilmore, Granagh, County Limerick, pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving causing serious bodily harm to Mr. Murray. During his sentencing hearing, prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley BL stated that Hanrahan, a married father of three from a well-known pig farming family, was traveling within the speed limit at approximately 8-10km/h along a slip road to the N20 on the day.
Ms Buckley said Hanrahan “didn’t stop when he should have” at the intersection, despite road markings and a red stop sign indicating that drivers must stop before turning into the main road.
Jim Lynch, a cab driver who informed Gardaí at the scene that Mr Hanrahan did not stop at the crossroads, was characterized as a “crucial independent witness.”
According to Ms Buckley, Mr Lynch informed Gardaí that he witnessed Mr Murray’s bike being “thrown out onto the road…” He was not talking; he was simply resting by the side of the road.”
Hanrahan, who passed a Garda roadside breathalyzer test for alcohol and drugs, remained at the scene and draped his coat over Mr Murray, the court heard. The driver told Gardaí that he halted at the crossroads, looked left and right, then went out onto the main road when he saw no one approaching.
Gardaí responded to a report of a “bang” and found Mr. Murray laying on the ground.
Ms Buckley said that Hanrahan’s remark about gazing left and right “did not appear” to be consistent with Mr Lynch’s Garda statement.
Mr Murray was treated by paramedics on the scene before being transported by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick (UHL), where doctors diagnosed him with a “severe traumatic brain injury,” a fractured skull, and brain bleed.
Mr Murray’s condition deteriorated, so he was transported to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where he was placed in a medically induced coma and monitored in the intensive care unit for seven days.
Ms Buckley stated that Mr Murray, who was present in court, was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, which was “extensively damaged”.
Mr Murray stated in a victim impact statement read in court that the first time he became aware of the collision was when he awoke from his coma in a hospital two and half weeks later.
“The following five weeks were spent learning to walk and doing all of life’s essential responsibilities. “I have constant tinnitus and have lost my hearing in my left ear,” Mr Murray explained.
Mr Murray stated that he missed his son’s wedding abroad because doctors told him “not to fly because of the fractures in my skull, so I missed what was a major family event”.
Hanrahan has previous convictions for traffic offenses such as dangerous driving (reduced to careless driving), hit and run, failure to remain at the scene of a collision, and intoxicated driving, according to the court.
Hanrahan’s defence barrister, Amy Nix BL, asked the court to consider in mitigation that he has family responsibilities that require him to be able to drive and that he is a “upstanding hard working member of his local community”.
“He is carrying the guilt with him everywhere, he wishes he could wind back the clock and prevent Mr Murray’s injuries. He has held up his hands, he intends to apologise publicly to Mr Murray.”
Judge Colin Daly said he had “much to consider” and deferred Mr Hanrahan’s sentencing to May 2, remanding him on bail.
