Man sentenced over hit-and-run incident causing death of Trim farmer

Judge John Martin said that a custodial sentence ‘could not be avoided’ in the instance of a truck driver failing to stop on the occurrence of an accident that caused the death of an 80-year-old sheep farmer from Meath.

On September 12th, 2025 43-year-old Piotr Broniarczyk, with an address in Wrzesnia, Poland, who was driving a truck on a work shift, collided with Edward (Ned) McLoughlin (pictured top right), of Doolistown, Trim, who was out cycling, on the R156 near Batterstown, Boardsmill.

Broniarczyk pleaded guilty to attempting to escape criminal liability for the incident, and was before Judge Martin for sentence on Thursday, 5th November.

Garda Sergeant Eoin Treacy told the court that McLoughlin had been discovered by a civilian after the collision had occurred, who contacted the emergency services.

In the meantime, other civilians attempted to help the injured party, which included administering CPR while receiving instructions on the phone. Witnesses say that they noticed large skid marks left by tyres at the scene of the incident, which were believed to belong to a heavy goods vehicle.

Mr McLoughlin was taken to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, where he was pronounced dead as a result of the injuries sustained.

Gardai were able to trace the truck back to the relevant courier company, and after obtaining a search warrant, identified fresh damage to the vehicle, as well as attempts to cover up some of the damage. Broniarczyk was then identified and contacted by the Gardai. He broke down over the phone and admitted what had happened.

As he was in Poland at the time of the call, he returned to Ireland where he was arrested upon arrival at Dublin Airport on 17th September last.

The court heard that Broniarczyk said in his interview with Gardai that he moved to the right to overtake McLoughlin. When the cyclist unexpectedly came into his path, the collision occurred. He said he broke hard upon realisation but that he could not prevent the collision.

He said in a second interview that he knew he had struck the cyclist and that he was injured, but told no one about the incident and continued on during his work day as usual. He also took an alternative route on his return journey, not travelling past the scene of the incident.

CCTV footage of the truck yard later on the day of the occurrence showed Broniarczyk inspecting his truck for damage, and attempting to fix a broken light.

Findings from the tachograph show that Broniarczyk was travelling within the 80km/h speed limit on the road. His travelling speed did not exceed 78km/h while on that stretch of road. It also showed a significant de-acceleration, and that the vehicle remained stationary for seven or eight seconds before taking off again.

The court heard that Broniarczyk had 19 years of professional driving experience, and had no prior convictions. He is a husband and father of two, and Judge Martin described him presenting to the court as a ‘pro-social gentleman’.

Among the victim impact statements read in court was McLoughlin’s partner Thelma O’Connell, who described the day as the worst of her and the McLoughlin family’s lives. She also said it was hard to comprehend not getting a proper chance to say goodbye. She added that she hoped that accused never had to go through what she went through, and described him as ' truly heartless' for his actions.

Also read aloud in court was McLoughlin's sister Josephine Patterson's statement, which included her saying that she could not bring her family on that part of the road ever again.

Describing the incident as a ‘very sad case’, Judge Martin outlined his sympathies for the family of the deceased. He then imposed a two-year custodial sentence and disqualified Broniarczyk from driving for five years.