American woman faces court charged over fatal crash outside N Ireland hotel
An American woman has appeared in court in Northern Ireland charged with causing death by careless driving in what has been described as a tragic incident for all involved.
Coleraine Magistrates' Court heard that Cathy Stewart, 66, a special needs teacher from Benton, Illinois, lost control of an electric vehicle as she parked it outside a hotel in Bushmills.
The vehicle was described as having 'suddenly bolted forward' into furniture, striking Allison Eichner, aged in her 40s and from Connecticut, on Wednesday afternoon.
Ms Eichner was taken to hospital but died of her injuries.
Relatives of Ms Eichner watched court proceedings remotely while Stewart was granted bail on a number of conditions, including residing at her home address in Illinois and a £5,000 cash surety, in recognition that the case is unlikely to be heard until 2026 at the earliest.
Ms Stewart appeared before the court on Friday morning charged with causing death by careless driving on Wednesday June 11 on the Causeway Road in Bushmills.
She indicated she understood the charge when it was put to her.
A police constable said she believed she could connect the accused to the charge.
She also described a tragic incident for all involved, and said police were 'not entirely opposed to bail', describing the 'big problem' as being the address of the defendant but said with a substantial cash surety, bail could be an option.
'On Wednesday June 11, at approximately a quarter past 12 in the afternoon, a single-vehicle road traffic collision occurred at the front of the Causeway Hotel on the Causeway Road in Bushmills,' she told the court.
'It involved a grey Ford Transit, a multiple person vehicle, being driven by the defendant. The defendant collided with the pedestrian while she sat on a bench at the front of the property.'
She said Ms Eichner suffered severe injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics before being transferred to the Causeway Hospital but died of her injuries a short time later.
'CCTV footage of the collision was obtained from the hotel, and it shows a Ford Transit being parked in the disabled parking bay after which the passengers get out and make their way into the hotel entrance,' she said.
'The driver's door appears to open slightly as though the driver was exiting the vehicle, however the vehicle moves forward slowly, and then suddenly bolts forward colliding with a light fixture, outdoor dining furniture and the victim who was sitting beside her brother on a bench.
'Her brother jumped out of the way but unfortunately the injured party sustained the full impact of the vehicle.
'The defendant was cautioned at the scene and gave an account consistent with the CCTV. The defendant stated she believed she had turned the car off before attempting to exit and as it rolled forward she tried to apply the foot brake however instead she hit the accelerator causing the collision.'
The constable said Ms Stewart was interviewed by police with her solicitor, answered all questions put to her, co-operated fully, and appeared remorseful.
'She had been in Northern Ireland since Tuesday afternoon on holiday with family and friends. She had left Belfast that morning with the ultimate destination of heading to Londonderry,' she said.
'The vehicle was a rental vehicle and she described taking time to familiarise herself with the controls before she left the airport. The defendant would say she was very cautious driving and stated she was in no rush.
'She admitted that she had never driven an electric or hybrid vehicle before, she described pulling into the parking space, stating that she pressed the start/stop button on the left hand side of the steering wheel and as far as she was concerned the vehicle shut down and stopped.
'The passengers in the vehicle got out and she remained in the driver's seat for a short time before stepping out of the vehicle and feeling it moving forward. She described trying to get back in and feeling for the brake, trying to stop the vehicle, however she stated she was feeling shocked and disorientated about what happened.'
A defence lawyer for Ms Stewart described a 'tragic, tragic case'.
'This was a simple error which has caused catastrophic consequences,' he said.
'This was an electric vehicle, she pushed the button, she assumed that the vehicle was off and of course being electric it doesn't make any noise. Unfortunately it has surged forward.
'At the end of her interview she was asked was there anything she wanted to say, I'll read what she said 'I'm just devastated, I can't get that family out of my mind. I'm the person who protects, to know that someone lost their life is devastating'.
'This is devastating for two sets of people, most especially the family of the deceased, and throughout Mrs Stewart's only thoughts have been with that bereaved family.'
He urged that bail is granted, adding she will have no difficulty coming back.
'She worked as a special needs teacher then a counsellor in a secondary school for over 40 years. She now works with a teaching union,' he said.
The judge said bail was 'entirely appropriate in this case', given that the evidential and forensic requirements of prosecution are going to take some time.
'Given that, it would be entirely disproportionate and inappropriate to keep you in custody for the duration of the investigation,' he said.
'Equally it would be entirely disproportionate to keep you from the United States whilst the investigation is ongoing, so I will grant bail.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
4 hours ago
- ITV News
US student Mahmoud Khalil detained for pro-Palestinian protests released from immigration detention
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was released Friday from federal immigration detention after 104 days by a judge's ruling after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student left a federal facility in Louisiana on Friday where he travelled to New York to meet his wife and son who was born while Mr Khalil was detained. Speaking to reporters at Newark International Airport, New Jersey he said: 'The US government is funding this genocide, and Columbia University is investing in this genocide." 'This is why I will continue to protest with everyone of you. Not only if they threaten me with detention. Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine.' 'Whether you are a citizen, an immigrant, anyone in this land, you're not illegal. That doesn't make you less of a human,' he said. Mr Khalil wasn't accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. However, the government has said noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the US for expressing views the administration considers to be antisemitic and 'pro-Hamas,' referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Mr Khalil, was released after US District Judge Michael Farbiarz said it would be 'highly, highly unusual' for the government to continue detaining a legal US resident who was unlikely to flee and hadn't been accused of any violence. The government filed notice Friday evening that it is appealing Mr Khalil's release. Federal immigration agents detained Mr Khalil on March 8, the first arrest under Trump's crackdown on students participating in the protests on university campuses. Mr Khalil was then taken to an immigration detention center in Jena, a remote part of Louisiana thousands of miles from his attorneys and his wife. The 30-year-old international affairs student had served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists at Columbia University who took over a campus lawn to protest the war. Khalil's lawyers challenged the legality of his detention, arguing that the Trump administration was trying to deport him for an activity protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified Khalil's deportation by citing a rarely used statute that gives him power to deport those who pose 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' Joining Mr Khalil at the airport, US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said his detention violated the First Amendment and was 'an affront to every American.' 'He has been accused, baselessly, of horrific allegations simply because the Trump administration and our overall establishment disagrees with his political speech,' she said. 'The Trump administration knows that they are waging a losing legal battle," Ocasio-Cortez added. "They are violating the law, and they know that they are violating the law.'
NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil returns home to New York area
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student released after more than three months in ICE detention, arrived in the New York metropolitan area on Saturday. Immigration authorities had arrested Khalil, 30, in March at the university housing complex where he lived in New York City. He was quickly transported thousands of miles away to a detention center in Louisiana, where he spent the last few months. His unprecedented detention has sparked national outrage. Further fueling the controversy, Khalil's American wife gave birth to the couple's first son in April while he remained behind bars. Upon his release in Louisiana on Friday, Khalil addressed reporters briefly, saying he was excited to return to New York City and see his family. 'Although justice prevailed,' he said upon his release, 'it's long, very long overdue. And this shouldn't have taken three months.' 'Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this,' he added. 'That doesn't mean that there is a right person for this. There's no right person who should be detained for actually protesting a genocide, for protesting their university, Columbia University.' Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on Friday denounced the judicial order freeing Khalil and the judge who issued it. 'This is yet another example of how out of control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security,' McLaughlin said in a statement. 'Their conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 election, it also does great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts.' The Trump administration claimed it had the authority to detain and deport the pro-Palestinian student activist, arguing that his presence in the U.S. threatened national security. Another charge against Khalil alleges that he omitted details about his work history and membership in organizations on his permanent residency application. The government cited an obscure provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that gives Secretary of State Marco Rubio authority to 'personally determine' whether a foreign national can remain in the U.S. on national security grounds. An NBC News review of more than 100 pages of court filings found that prosecutors relied on unverified tabloid reports and anecdotal claims, raising doubts about the strength of their case for deporting Khalil. Less than 10 minutes after Khalil, who has no criminal history, was released from the detention center in Jena, Louisiana, the Trump administration filed a notice of appeal. Khalil helped lead student protests over the war in Gaza and negotiations with university officials at Columbia last year. The protests at the Ivy League school gripped national headlines for weeks and inspired similar demonstrations at universities around the world. Some Jewish students at universities across the U.S. reported antisemitic incidents as the protest movement gained traction. Khalil was the first of several foreign academics apprehended by immigration authorities in the first months of Trump's second term. Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral candidate from Turkey, was arrested outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, by immigration authorities on March 25. Viral street footage of her arrest showed Department of Homeland Security officials dressed in plain clothes surrounding Öztürk, grabbing her by the wrists and escorting her into an unmarked vehicle. Mohsen Mahdawi, a 34-year-old graduate student at Columbia who was born in the West Bank, was apprehended by immigration authorities during his naturalization interview in Vermont. Federal judges also ordered the release of both Öztürk and Mahdawi in recent weeks. Other notable cases include a Georgetown University professor who was detained by ICE and later released after a judicial order, and a Brown University professor who was deported to Lebanon.
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'Trump's latest golden gimmick has finally been exposed - the grift goes on'
The crooked Trump Organisation's latest golden gimmick, the T1 smartphone - billed as a proudly American alternative to Apple's iPhone 17 - isn't quite as stars-and-stripes as advertised. Marketed under the new "Trump Mobile" brand, the gold-plated handset is due to ship in August and proudly claims to be 'Made in the USA.' But eagle-eyed social media sleuths have already called foul, uncovering that the T1 is actually a Chinese-made Android device in a MAGA makeover… and being flogged for three times its price on Amazon. The Trump Mobile network itself has been dubbed an "All-American service," though critics suggest the only thing truly domestic about it is the markup. The Trump grift goes on. A wannabe photographer learned the hard way that breaking into a prison can land you right where you'd expect - behind bars. Cody Mallon, 19, from Argyle, New York, fancied himself a bit of an urban explorer when he crawled through a hole in the fence of the shuttered Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill just after midnight. Once inside, the teen reportedly got a little too into character and managed to lock himself in one of the old cells. Realising freedom wasn't part of the self-guided tour, he had to call for help. State Police and the Glenham Fire Department responded and freed the red-faced inmate-turned-intruder. Mallon was promptly arrested for criminal trespass. Ed the Zebra, who hoofed it out of captivity and trotted into internet stardom, was finally grounded after more than a week on the loose in Tennessee. The stripy fugitive was spotted chilling in a pasture near a local subdivision before being dramatically airlifted by helicopter back to an animal trailer. No frequent flyer miles were earned. A DoorDash driver accidentally turned Chicago O'Hare into his own personal delivery route after driving miles through the airport's restricted roads on Saturday. Airport police say the confused courier wandered along taxiways and secure areas before being spotted by someone in the control tower. Authorities confirmed it was all a mistake, but admitted the driver may have crossed actual runways. No word on whether the food was on time. Things got a little too fraught at a Charlotte commission meeting when protesters released live crickets during a debate on gun violence awareness. The unexpected insect invasion forced a recess while crews rounded up the chirping culprits. 'Disturb the meeting, and you'll be escorted out - or charged,' warned Chair Mark Jerrell.
