A 33-year-old man has gone on trial for dangerous driving causing the death of GAA broadcaster Paudie Palmer.
Bohdan Bezverkhyi, of Rigsdale House, Rigsdale, Ballinhassing, Co Cork, has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Palmer at Dunkereen Cross, Innishannon, Co Cork on 29 December 2022.
The trial opened at the Cork Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Jonathan Dunphy and a jury of seven women and five men this afternoon.
Opening the State’s case, prosecution barrister Brendan Kelly stressed that his outline at the beginning of the trial was not itself evidence.
He said that it would be the State’s case that on 29 December 2022, the accused was at the petrol station in Crossbarry in his BMW 5 series car.
He had what appeared to be a flat tyre and he stayed there for several hours.
After speaking to two gardaí, he changed his tyre and left between 9am and 10am heading to Dunderrin Cross at Innishannon a short distance away.
They would hear evidence from Colette Crowley that she was at home at 9.50am that morning and heard a revving engine through her open kitchen window.
She went to the crossroads and saw a red Peugeot car against the embankment.
She and others went to Mr Palmer’s assistance. He was taken to Cork University Hospital but died there on 8 January.
Mr Kelly said they would hear evidence from State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster that Mr Palmer died due to traumatic spinal cord injuries.
There would be evidence that the defendant was arrested later that day at his home and when interviewed by gardaí that he allegedly admitted he was driving, and that he left the scene having panicked.
His mobile phone had been examined and there were messages in Russian in which the Ukrainian man allegedly said he had left the scene of a collision.
The State’s case, Mr Kelly said, would be that Mr Bezverkhyi came to a stop sign at the crossroads and went through it just as Mr Palmer’s car was coming along the main road, colliding with him and causing injury to Mr Palmer.
“It was, effectively, dangerous driving causing death,” Mr Kelly alleged.
Mr Bezverkhyi denies the charge.
The case before Judge Jonathan Dunphy is expected to last for at least one week.
