Lucia and Jim O’Farrell hold a picture of their late son, Shane
You may recall the death of Shane O’Farrell.
Shane, aged 23, was killed in a hit-and-run outside Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan on August 2, 2011.
The man who struck Shane was Zigimantas Gridzuiska, 39, from Lithuania. He had 42 previous convictions in three different jurisdictions and was out on bail at the time of Shane’s death.
During the sentencing of Gridzisuka, Ms O’Farrell claims Judge Pat McCartan asked if there was anything coming up in the pipeline for Gridziuska and that the State solicitor failed to notify the judge that – over the five months before Gridziuska’s trial – a file had been prepared in relation to insurance fraud charges against Gridziuska.
Gridziuska then received an eight-month suspended sentence on condition he leave Ireland.
However just days after he was ordered to leave the State, Gridziuska appeared in Carrickmacross District Court for insurance fraud and was jailed for five months by Judge Sean MacBride. This was in relation to three policies of insurance fraud, one of which covered the day on which Shane was killed.
Further to this, Shane’s mother Lucia O’Farrell sued Gridzuiska for nervous shock. She settled this afternoon.
The Irish Times reports:
She told Mr Justice Raymond Fullam joy has gone out of her life since her son died.
“I relive every minute of the day that it happened. I will never move on. My life is over,” she said.
In her High Court action, Lucia O’Farrell sued for nervous shock claiming, since the accident, she has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and a severe grief reaction including flashbacks and nightmares.
On Wednesday, her counsel Gabriel Gavigan SC said the case had settled and could be struck out. The terms of settlement are confidential.
Anthony Kidney SC, for Mr Gridzuiska, said the defendant’s legal team empathised and sympathised with the O’Farrells and had defended the case on the instruction of the insurer.
Mr Justice Fullam said it was in everyone’s best interests the case had settled and he hoped, with the trauma of the litigation, both criminal and civil, behind them, the family can face the future together and live with their great loss.
‘I lost my only son. Now I see everything as being over’ (Irish Times)
Previously: ‘Delay, Deny, Then Cover Up’
Woah. I hope she is seeking help for that, it cannot be good for her or her husband or any other children she has.
The Irish criminal justice “system” is a national disgrace. No two ways about it.
Gridzuiska almost clipped a car when he overtook a motorist witness just before killing Shane. He just sped away, went home, told his wife ( after hiding his car) that he thought he had killed someone. And diall 999? No, they went to bed.Gridzuiska shouldnt havent even been out on the streets as he had several suspended sentences hanging over him .After his arrest he was to sign on at garda station but went thieving in Northern Ireland and was sent to prison. The garda in the Republic failed to realize that Gridzuiska wasnt signing on…..isnt this a total nightmare scenario for Lucia and her family.? An garda stopped Gridzuiska’s car an hour before he killed. Flagged as known criminal car. The driver had no documents and the garda swopped drivers enabling Griduiska to take the wheel and kill Shane. This state has disrespected Shane o Farrell. This state has delayed, denied and covered the catoloue of monstrous mistakes and further traumatised Lucia , Jim and their daughters. Griduiska = stay out of ireland. If you have slightest remorse you will never darken our shores again.
I can’t begin to imagine what the O’Farrell family is going through, but for their sakes I hope they reach some kind of peace in their hearts and minds or it will eat them up. I agree with what Don said and hope they get some professional grief counselling.
“and had defended the case on the instruction of the insurer.”
There is an employee of that insurance company out there who made the decision to force the O’Farrell’s to fight this case. Probably has their own kids, has plenty of money to give them a nice comfortable life in exchange for saving an insurance company a few million a year by putting victims through the misery of court cases like this.
I wonder does that person think about the misery he causes others, unjustly in most cases I would imagine.
What a way to make a living, making grieving people endure even further stress and hardship so some faceless financial company can save a few quid.
Tish, the insurance was fraudenly taken out by Griduisha’s wife and she given a state handshake.