A cyclist claims he suffered a severe and complex injury to his foot after he was struck by a jeep driven by the sister of Regency Hotel murder victim David Byrne.

Andrew Walsh (35), a sound technician at the Gate Theatre, also told the High Court he felt intimidated by two men when he was lying on the road after being knocked off his bike at Meath Street, Dublin, on May 19, 2011.

He claims his bicycle was struck from the rear by a Nissan Qashiqai Jeep driven by Maria Byrne of Windmill Road, Crumlin, Dublin. 

In his action, Mr Walsh, with an address in Dublin 8, claims Ms Byrne drove in a manner which was dangerous, failed to keep a proper lookout, and failed to brake properly to avoid the collision.  

The claims are denied by Ms Byrne.

Mr Walsh claims he suffered injuries including two fractures to his metatarsal bones in his right foot. He said the pain in his foot, and other symptoms including involuntary twitching, has persisted and he has undergone surgery.

He requires further surgery on the injury in the future, he claims.

Stephen Lanigan-O’Keeffe SC for Mr Walsh said that when his client was on the ground, Sadie Byrne, mother of the defendant, tipped ash from a cigarette towards him.

In his evidence, Mr Walsh said he was an extremely careful cyclist but on the date of the collision the jeep “came in on top of me” knocking him over the bars of the bike and onto the road.

He said he suffered injuries and rang an ambulance. When he was on the ground a lady attempted to help him and asked if he was ok.

He said she left shortly afterwards after two men approached him when he was on the ground and told him to “get up” and “asked my name.”

He said he felt “very, very intimidated” adding they were “aggressive,” towards him.

One of them, he said, was smoking cannabis and attempted to put it in his mouth.

He also said he saw the men speaking with the defendant’s mother before the ambulance took him to hospital. 

He said before the accident he had been fairly active and was in good shape, and had played basketball which he can no longer do.

However, the complex injury he had suffered, particularly to his toes had changed his life adversely.

He told the court that at times he has had to use a walking stick and fears he will be “an old man before my time.” 

Under cross-examination by Vincent Foley SC, for Ms Byrne, Mr Walsh denied that versions of the accident he gave to the gardai 10 days after the incident and to his consultant engineer differed to the version he has given to the court.

He also denied trying to mislead anybody when Mr Foley put it to him that he had not disclosed all of the previous injuries to his foot that previously required medical intervention in 2008, 2009, and 2010.  

He said that he had recovered from those particular injuries and denied engaging in a pattern of not disclosing all relevant material about his medical history to the court.

The case, before Ms Justice Bronagh O’Hanlon, continues. 

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