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One woman recounted how she visited the grave of her husband, who was killed by a dangerously driving man, before giving birth to the couple’s third child.
Mags Mulhall was giving an impact statement to the victim when a man pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and caused the death of her husband John “Rustard” McLaughlin in Strandhead, Malin, on the night of February 20, 2017.
Aaron McColgan (25) had visited several pubs before crashing into MacLaughlin, 38, just after 6pm, killing him instantly, Letterkenny Circuit Court heard.
Mr. McLaughlin, an accountant, was on his way to coach the GAA U-16 team at Malin GAA Club, where he was a lifetime member.
McColgan, of Culkeeny, Malin, left the crash site and was seen by a Gardaí nearby and arrested.
It failed a roadside breath test and was found to be over the limit when breath and urine samples were taken at the Buncrana Garda station.
Garda forensic examiners found that McColgan’s Audi A4 car, which he had purchased in Northern Ireland just weeks earlier, was driving on the wrong side of a solid white line.
The Garda Gerard McCauley as proof said the road was governed by a speed limit of 80 km / h, but they couldn’t tell how fast the cars were traveling, but the Audi car was traveling much faster than McLaughlin’s Kia Rio.
Such was the impact that McColgan’s car traveled 65 meters while Mr. McLaughlin’s car was thrown backwards and crashed into a tree.
Passersby rushed to try to help Mr. McLaughlin, but despite a weak pulse and a few small breaths, he died shortly afterward.
McLaughlin’s sister Sue gave a victim impact statement on behalf of her parents Noel and Rosaleen and their extended family.
She recounted how John McLaughlin was the most helpful people whose loss was immeasurable.
She spoke of her love for GAA and climbing mountains and hills and how, despite moving houses when she married, she always came back to help out on the family farm.
She added of her parents’ pain: “No parent should have to bury a child and we have to live with that pain every day.”
McLaughlin’s widow Mags spoke of the pain and unimaginable circumstances of having to give birth to the couple’s third child alone.
She spoke of how her husband was simply a “good citizen” helping everyone he could.
She said she went to visit his grave before the birth of her third child when he should have been in the hospital with her.
She said she has no answers for her children when they ask her if their dad is still working in heaven, if they can go visit dad in heaven, why can’t dad wake up and why dad has crashed?
She said that as a single mother, making all of the parenting decisions is not easy now, adding: “Helping to make Father’s Day cards to put on his grave was not supposed to be part of our adventure. Children long for their dad every day, no one else can be their dad, they had so little time with him. If only Aaron McColgan had behaved differently.
“Nobody feels the same unconditional love that you do for your husband. I miss his company, his intimacy and his affection. I miss your honesty and integrity. You could trust him with your life. “
He added that the three years it took for the case to reach court have exhausted both his body and soul.
The court was told that McColgan has several prior convictions including intoxication, drunkenness while in charge of a vehicle, obstruction of a police officer, threatening and abusive behavior, and not having insurance.
McColgan’s attorney, Damien Colgan said his client has expressed remorse and has not drawn Garda’s attention since the 2017 incident.
Judge John Aylmer said he would need time to consider the sentence and postponed the case until the end of the week.
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