Careless driver 'panicked' after €5k crash
A CARELESS driver who crashed into a garden railing and parked car at a house left the scene and only went to the gardai a month later, a court heard.
Jamie Reis (36) failed to stop at the scene of the crash after causing €5,500 worth of damage.
He was fined €500 after Dublin District Court heard he had "panicked".
Reis, with an address at North Circular Road, pleaded guilty to careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident at Finglas Road, Glasnevin on February 5 last.
The court heard a collision happened at 12.05am.
The accused's green Ford Fiesta left the roadway and crossed the footpath, colliding with a railing at a house at De Courcy Square and a silver Hyundai that was parked in the driveway.
Gardai arrived and nobody involved in the collision made themselves known, the court heard.
Enquiries were carried out and the defendant presented himself at Mountjoy Garda Station a month later.
Reis had "simply panicked," his lawyer said.
The accused was a Portuguese kitchen porter with no previous convictions. He had four children and was sending money back home to his family.
The court heard the cost of the damage had been dealt with by insurance.