Laois man jailed over crash that caused the death of a US tourist

A Laois man has been jailed for dangerous driving causing the death of a US tourist and injuring her husband in 2022.  

Jamie Kearns, 20, of 22 Cosby Avenue, Portlaoise pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm in relation to the collision at the Rock of Dunamase on October 7, 2022. 

Judge Keenan Johnson sentenced the defendant before a sitting of Portlaoise Circuit Court this morning. He also recommended that the Local Authority reduce the speed limit from 80km/h to 30km/h on the approach road to the Rock of Dunamase. 

Judge Keennan said the collision had occurred due to “driver errors and speed” and said passengers in the car driven by the defendant had indicated in interview that they had asked the defendant to slow down but he didn’t. 

He explained that  Doug Jones, Laura Jones, their youngest daughter Erin and her partner Jacob, who are from Parker, Colorado in the US, had stopped off to visit the Rock of Dunamase on October 7, 2022. It was the first stop on their holiday in Ireland. 

After parking, the younger couple walked towards the Rock of Dunamase and heard a car approaching at speed. The approaching car struck Mr and Mrs Jones and threw them over a wall and a large rock was dislodged from the wall and fell on Mrs Jones. 

A hearing on Wednesday was told the defendant had reached the top of the road and lost control of the car before colliding with the couple. 

During interviews, “he would not acknowledge that he was driving at excessive speed,” Judge Keenan noted. 

He said Sgt Katherine Kelliher had expressed her belief that the 80km speed limit on the narrow road approaching the Rock of Dunamase was inappropriate. 

“I am strongly urging the Local Authority to review the speed limit on the road,” said Judge Keenan. 

He said such a measure could prevent other families “suffering the unspeakable tragedy suffered” by the Jones family. 

He said surgery and metal work had been needed on Mr Jones’s left leg. He said 18 months after the incident he was still limping and this could be permanent. 

Judge Keenan said it was “perfectly understandable” that the Jones family felt “unable” to attend and had also declined to observe proceedings online. 

He said the collision had changed their lives forever. He referred to Doug Jones’s victim impact statement where he said the couple never got to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and Mrs Jones never got to walk her eldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding. 

Mr Jones had also described the act of the accused as “careless, reckless, selfish and stupid.” 

Judge Keenan said the couple were very unfortunate and that bad things happen to good people. He said it was difficult to understand how life can be so cruel and he extended his sympathies to the family.  

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. 

Judge Keenan said the defendant only had the car two weeks and was an unaccompanied learner driver. The court heard he had no previous convictions.  There were three passengers in the car on the day. 

“Passengers in the car had been urging the accused to slow down,” he said. 

He said the driver was engaging in “bravado and showmanship” on the day and had shown reckless disregard. 

Judge Keenan said all of the parties at the scene of the collision have to be suffering from post traumatic stress following the incident. 

In mitigation, he said he had to take into account the early plea, his cooperation with gardaí, he hadn’t left the scene or been under the influence of drink or drugs and the fact that the defendant had left school early and was a vulnerable young man. He said the defendant had also expressed sincere remorse. He said the man suffers with mental health difficulties. 

“He has never been in jail before and he has never been separated from his family,” he said. 

Judge Keenan said the accused was not an inherently bad person but he was an immature man.  He said the experience of prison will be very difficult  for him. 

The defendant was sentenced to two years and three months in prison with the final year suspended for three years with conditions, including that he keep the peace and engage with the probation service. He was also banned from driving for 15 years. 

Judge Johnson again extended his “heartfelt sympathy” to the Jones family. He said the incident should result in safety improvements at the area where the collision occurred.

He expressed his hope that the Jones family would understand the rationale behind the sentence he imposed.