Diabetic lorry driver's 11-vehicle Dublin Airport crash triggered terror alert

Tom Tuite

A lorry driver suffering a diabetes attack sparked a terror alert after colliding with at least 10 cars and a packed bus at Dublin Airport just before Christmas 2021, a court heard.

Ian Mooney (35), of Scregg, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to give his information after a collision, and criminal damage.

On Tuesday at Dublin District Court, he was fined €500 and banned from driving all motor vehicles for two years, and he received a special lifetime lorry driving disqualification.

Garda Glenn Halpin told Judge Gerard Jones that shortly after 7pm on December 22nd, 2021, there were numerous 999 calls about a Scania truck with a white trailer travelling on the M50 and M1.

It emerged the truck had crashed into six vehicles on the departures road outside Terminal 1.

Further updates revealed that the vehicle had driven on from the crash site toward the Circle K service station with five other vehicles. One of them was a coach with 32 engers.

Garda Halpin said the truck continued colliding with other vehicles and failed to stop before driving past the service station, mounting a footpath and stopping.

Mooney got out and went across the road to a hotel.

"A number of gardaí were dispatched to the area at the time. Armed units were called in relation to the incident, which was being treated as a possible act of terrorism," Garda Halpin said.

However, the response was scaled down after gardaí went to the hotel and spoke to Halpin, who was "confused as to how he got there" and his speech was slurring.

Gardaí initially could not understand him and thought he was speaking a foreign language. Drink and drug tests returned with negative results, while the truck was in perfect working order.

However, Mooney mentioned to them that he was a diabetic and "not in good health at the time". A doctor attended to the lorry driver while the gardaí dealt with him.

Mooney normally worked in his father's haulage business.

The garda agreed with State solicitor Fergal Mawe that the accused's reason for the incident was that he took on an urgent job from another firm that needed a driver to do a long run to the UK and back.

However, he forgot to bring his glucose monitor.

CCTV footage was played, and the court heard there were more than 60 witnesses, with statements taken from 39 of them.

Oisin Clarke BL, instructed by solicitor Tony Collier, said the accused had grown up in the haulage business, working for his father, had "Diesel in his blood", and had driven all over the world for a living.

Mooney, who has had diabetes since he was 14, had no prior convictions.

The court heard that during the lengthy journey without his glucose monitoring equipment, he had been self-diagnosing but was unable to make an accurate reading.

Garda Halpin agreed with counsel that the people affected had been compensated.

When asked by the judge, the witness said he thought medical reasons caused the incident and that it was not deliberate.

The court heard Mooney was remorseful and devastated at the harm he caused, which scared him from ever driving a truck again.

"Glowing" references were furnished. Mr Clarke pleaded for leniency and that his client be spared a recorded conviction.

He submitted that Mooney was not expected to come before the court again and deserved a chance.

However, the judge convicted the accused, saying he could have been going to prison.

In addition to the statutory two-year driving disqualification for all motor vehicles, the judge acceded to a request from Mr Mawe to impose a special disqualification banning Mooney from driving certain category-long vehicles for life.

Mr Mawe argued that this was sought due to Mooney's recklessness in failing to bring his monitor with him.