Garda pleads guilty to causing fatal crash on M4 motorway

A garda has pleaded guilty to causing a car crash in which a 51-year-old woman was fatally injured in Co Westmeath four years ago.

Patrick McDonnell, with an address at Corofin, Co Galway, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of dangerous driving causing the death of Jacqueline Wolohan on February 13th, 2016 on the M4 motorway at Rossan, Kinnegad.

The defendant who had previously denied the charge entered the plea shortly before his trial was due to get underway at Trim Circuit Court.

Judge Martina Baxter remanded McDonnell on bail and adjourned the case to March 11th. She directed that a victim impact statement from the dead woman’s family be prepared in the meantime.

Ms Wolohan was returning to her home in Kilmore in Coolock, Dublin from Longford when the crash involving her blue Nissan Micra and the defendant’s Opel Astra occurred.

Three passengers in her car including her teenage son Andrew were injured.