Motorcycle skid in Cork car park race left three young women injured, court hears

Two young men raced each other in a car park, driving a new Mercedes car and a motorcycle, but the man on the bike lost control and his vehicle skidded at speed into three young women, seriously injuring them.

This was the scenario described by Garda Ruth Healy at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, where the young women gave emotional evidence of how their lives had changed utterly as a result of the catastrophic incident at Eastgate retail park in Little Island.

Luke Martin, aged 23, of St Jude’s Hermitage, Ballybrowney, Rathcormac, Co Cork, had his case adjourned by Judge Sinead Behan until February 24 for sentencing, arising out of his plea of guilty to counts of dangerous driving, causing serious bodily harm to three young women on September 16, 2023 at Eastgate retail park.

Garda Healy said a group of youths was gathered in the area and one of them arrived at the scene in his father’s new Mercedes car. Luke Martin was present on a motorbike. The two young men agreed to have a race between then in the empty car park.

However, on making a turn at speed, Martin lost control, fell off the bike, and it skidded into the three young women.

One of the injured parties said: “Luke was riding without a helmet and showed no regard for our safety, racing through an empty car park at excessive speed, with no intention to stop, ultimately colliding with all three of us.

“The impact threw us into the air before we hit the tarmac, turning what should have been a fun and enjoyable evening into a terrifying experience that has changed my life in many ways.

“I now struggle with fear and anxiety. Loud motorbike or car noises trigger flashbacks and panic, leaving me paralysed with fear. I experience frequent nightmares, sleepless nights, flashbacks, and moments of emotional distress. I often think of how things could have ended much worse that night, and that thought just terrifies me.”

A second young woman said in her victim impact statement: “I have had many moments of sheer panic to the point where I just break down and cry. I get so overwhelmed that I find it hard to continue with my day. I feel helpless and upset.

“Since that very traumatic day I have not seen or heard from Luke. I waited a few days after the accident for Luke to contact me with some attempt to apologise but this did not happen. I was angry and upset that he didn’t even pick up the phone to try and make right of what happened.

“The constant reminders [including scarring] have left me with lingering anxiety and the uneasy feeling that I might never remember exactly what happened and that truly scares me.”

The third injured party was not present in court to read her victim impact statement, which was handed in to the judge on her behalf. The defence barrister said there was no doubt but that the young man was extremely apologetic and remorseful.

He read a letter from the accused where he directly addressed the injured parties: “I did want to make an apology to all three of you. I was advised not to. I regret and am deeply remorseful for my actions. I fully accept responsibility for the consequences. I did not refrain from contacting you because I felt indifferent.

“I was instructed by gardaí not to contact you — that it could interfere with the process. I know this exacerbated your distress and left you feeling like I did not care,” he said. “I have been deeply affected. I wake up knowing my actions caused pain and distress. I am truly sorry.”