Two men in court after tractor strikes railway bridge in the Midlands

Two  men appeared in court in connection with a tractor striking a railway bridge in the Midlands.

Daniel Massey (19) of 13 Moanbaun Close, Woodbrook, Mountrath appeared in court was accused of driving without insurance and striking a bridge at Trumera, Laois on November 1, 2024. 

Keith Delaney (33), of Trumera, Mountrath who was accused of being the owner of an uninsured tractor at Trumera on the date in question. 

Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client, Mr Delaney, wasn’t present on the last date. 

Andrew Dunne BL said he had taken instructions from the other defendant. He said his client “was driving a work vehicle under the belief from his employer that the vehicle was insured” on the date in question. 

Ms Fitzpatrick said her client was being prosecuted in his personal capacity. However, she said the tractor was registered to his company, Bloomhill Construction Ltd. She said her client should not be before the court. 

“That company would be a separate legal entity to Mr Delaney,” she explained. “He is not the legal owner of the vehicle,” said Ms Fitzpatrick. 

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said the prosecuting garda wasn’t present in court. “I don’t know anything about company law,” he said. 

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Ms Fitzpatrick said the vehicle is not registered to her client and “that is where it begins and ends”. 

Judge Susan Fay didn’t agree however. “The date of which the company took ownership of this vehicle is subsequent to the offence,” she said. 

Judge Fay said the company took ownership of the tractor on January 22, 2025 and the offence is alleged to have occurred on November 1, 2024. 

She adjourned the case back to Portlaoise District Court on September 11. 

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