Toronto lawyer charged in fatal Irish crash
Local report says James Hardy was on vacation when his car collided with riders in a charity motorcycle run, killing one of them
A Toronto lawyer on vacation in Ireland has been charged with dangerous driving causing death following a collision with several motorcycles that killed one of the riders.
According to the local Sunday World newspaper, a 42-year old man taking part in a charity motorcycle ride was killed when James Hardy’s car collided with him on a road in County Kilkenny, around two hours southwest of the capital Dublin.
Two other riders were in a stable condition after being taken to hospital with serious injuries following the crash, the story adds.
Hardy was formally charged with dangerous driving causing death on June 7 at the Kilkenny District Court, where he told the judge what had happened was tragic and extended his condolences to the family of the deceased man.
Proceedings are at an early stage and the case against Hardy has not been proven in court.
Hardy’s online biography with Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, where he practices commercial litigation, says he was trained in the U.K. – receiving an LLB from the University of Law in London and an LLM from the University of Cambridge – before completing the accreditation process and receiving his call to the bar in Ontario in 2018.
According to the Sunday World, Hardy had travelled to the U.K. for a wedding before carrying on to Ireland with his girlfriend and her 94-year-old grandmother for a sightseeing tour that took in cathedrals in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kilkenny.
All three were in the car at the time of the accident, the newspaper says. An Irish police officer who attended the scene told the court that he was satisfied Hardy was not using his phone at the time of the accident following an inspection of the device, and that the lawyer had passed a roadside breath test.
The judge in the case granted Hardy bail on a €50,000 bond until his next appearance on June 14, the report says.
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