‘You killed our beautiful daughter’: Family left with ‘life sentence’ after hit-and-run, court hears

The father of a nurse killed in a hit-and-run by a disqualified driver said he and his family have been left with a “life sentence” of grief.Retired Garda Eugene O’Reilly delivered an emotional victim impact statement in court Tuesday during the sentencing of Keelan O’Connell. O’Connell admitted dangerous driving causing the death of Áine O’Reilly (33).O’Connell, of Scanlon Park, Castleconnell, told investigating gardaí that he was speeding and high on cannabis and “fast gas” on the night, Friday, February 13th, 2026.Áine O’Reilly was driving to work at Shannondoc when O’Connell’s car struck another vehicle, forcing it into the path of her car.READ MOREO’Connell was attempting to undertake another car, driven by a Ukrainian national, Oleksii Horshkov, and ploughed into the car, catapulting it across the road and into the path of O’Reilly’s car.Neither Horshkov nor Áine O’Reilly had time to react or take action to avoid the impact, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.She died instantly in the collision, and Horshkov suffered a fractured spine and psychological trauma.O’Connell and two male passengers in his car ran away without contacting emergency services or checking on the victims. O’Connell handed himself up to gardaí the following day, telling investigators he had been speeding and cruising around rural roads prior to the fatal collision.[ Driver who injured six teenagers in crash passed initial alcohol and drug testingOpens in new window ]O’Connell was disqualified from driving at the time. He was not registered to the car and was driving without a licence and insurance.Dash-cam footage of the fatal hit-and-run was played in court, as was CCTV footage of O’Connell and his passengers inhaling balloons filled with fast gas, also known as laughing gas, prior to the hit-and-run.Áine O’Reilly’s parents, Ann and Eugene, and her brother James, delivered victim impact statements in court. Eugene O’Reilly said his “beautiful” and “brilliant” only daughter had faced “many health problems” with “resilience and bravery”, but she had “blossomed” as a nurse caring for others and training student nurses.“What a loss she is to the nursing profession,” he said.Turning to O’Connell in court, Eugene O’Reilly said: “You killed our beautiful daughter Áine and left her to die alone. You have handed myself, Ann, and her siblings Eoin, James and Conor a life sentence which we will never get over.”[ The Irish Times view on road safety: why does change take so long?Opens in new window ]“Our family has been destroyed by Keelan O’Connell.” Ann O’Reilly told the court that, in her opinion, the fatal collision was not an accident, but the result of “deliberate, criminal decisions” by O’Connell.She said her daughter’s death had left a “profound” impact on her family, which was “nearly impossible to describe”.“It has completely taken over, and the physical heartache is constantly present. Áine’s loss has left a huge void that will never be filled,” she said.James O’Reilly said his sister’s “killing” had been “horrific” for his family and that “every happy event, every milestone and every family gathering has been tinged with sadness”.He said he was haunted by the thought that even though his sister was “driving safely and observing all of the rules of the road” on the night, it was not enough to prevent her death.O’Connell pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm, dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving without a licence, failing to report and failing to offer assistance knowing a person is seriously injured or dead.Judge Mary Morrissey expressed sympathies with the O’Reilly family and said she would pass sentence on O’Connell on November 17th.