Woman Avoids Jail for Fatal Hit-and-Run

Community Service and Probation for Antrim Resident

A County Antrim woman has received a non-custodial sentence for her role in a fatal road traffic incident where a pedestrian died. The court heard the woman left the scene after the collision.

Sentence Delivered at Ballymena Court

At Ballymena Magistrates Court, Zoe Wallace, 25, was handed an enhanced combination order by District Judge Nigel Broderick. The sentence includes 18 months of probation and 100 hours of community service, alongside a nine-month driving prohibition.

“I want to make it clear to you, this is not an easy option,” the judge stated. He warned that any failure to comply would result in resentencing and “immediate custody,” emphasizing there are “no second chances.”

—District Judge Nigel Broderick

Wallace, from Grange Drive in Ballymoney, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of failing to remain and report an accident that caused injury. The incident occurred on the evening of August 28th, 2022.

Fatal Collision on Cushendall Road

The pedestrian, 57-year-old John Corr, from Dunclug Gardens, Ballymena, was pronounced deceased at the scene on Cushendall Road. Witnesses reported seeing a woman, identified as Wallace, admit to hitting the victim before leaving the area in a grey BMW with another individual.

Wallace‘s mother contacted the police the following morning, believing her daughter was involved in the collision. Officers subsequently attended her address and arrested her. Her BMW, found parked at a business premises, displayed visible damage to its front passenger side, bonnet, and windscreen.

During police interviews, Wallace stated she had been drinking alcohol on August 27th but stopped around 3 am on the morning of the accident. She claimed she saw Mr. Corr on the road and that others were assisting, but she panicked and left without knowing he had died.

Defence Highlights Circumstances and Remorse

Defence counsel Thomas McKeever conveyed Wallace‘s continued sympathy to the family of the deceased. He stated that Wallace did stop at the scene for approximately ten minutes and that her passenger urged her to leave. He added that she did not realize the severity of the situation or that the victim had died.

“In hindsight it was a very foolish thing to do, and she will have to live with that for the rest of her life in terms of the consequences of that decision,” Mr. McKeever remarked.

—Thomas McKeever, Defence Counsel

The court was informed that Wallace had no prior convictions at the time. However, she has since been convicted of several driving offenses, including driving while unfit, dangerous driving, failing to stop, and having no insurance in April 2023, as well as further offenses for failing to stop, no insurance, and driving while banned in July 2023.

Mr. McKeever noted that Wallace was homeless and living in her car at the time of the incident. He emphasized that she now has strong family support and is preparing to start a university course, indicating she is “a very different person now” and has “a promising life ahead.”

Judge Broderick acknowledged that imposing the enhanced combination order and driving ban was done “not without some hesitation.” According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an estimated 10,845 fatalities were attributed to hit-and-run crashes in 2021 (NHTSA 2021 Data).