"The result of drinking alcohol and driving.... the driver of this car was lucky to escape alive. There are enough deaths on our roads without people being foolish like this driver. Never ever drink and drive!" - Another recent collision which occurred on 6th November - PSNI Newry, Mourne & Down
The PSNI’s Head of Road Policing has spoken out after a drunk driver was jailed earlier this week for causing the death of father-of-two Barry McManus following a horrific collision.
Chief Inspector Graham Dodds called for people to consider the consequences of their decisions and asked: “Could you live with the responsibility for the death of another person through your actions?”
Vladimar Kovac (42) from Carrowshee Park, Lisnaskea was “intoxicated, driving aggressively, at high speed and with the accelerator fully depressed” at the time of the impact.
Mr. McManus, who had just become a father for the second time, sustained serious head injuries and died instantaneously on June 11, 2022, which “cruelly” was his wife’s birthday.
He was driving his Renault Megane home from work along the Belfast Road, Brookeborough, when it was struck by Kovac’s Volkswagen Golf.
Records showed he was using his phone at the time and was still talking on it when police arrived.
He was also intoxicated.
Analysis revealed Kovac’s accelerator pedal was fully depressed for the five-second period before the collision, increasing the speed from 80mph to 95mph in that short time.
No braking activity was recorded with only a “relatively small steering input”.
When arrested, he claimed to have had an argument with his wife and began consuming alcohol, accepting he had “at least five glasses of vodka” before getting into his car to listen to music.
His wife began ringing him so he drove off claiming to be “under so much pressure”.
Emergency Service crews at the scene of a recent collision involving a drunk driver, reported this week on 6th November by PSNI Newry, Mourne & Down
Handing down sentence, Judge Richard Greene KC said the victim’s car was severely damaged in the collision and the driver’s door had been ripped off.
Addressing Kovac directly, he said:
“The selfish decision you made ripped the heart out of a family who will forever be impacted. Their loss is unfathomable … You will serve your sentence and return to your family with the comfort of their visits while in prison. You may from time to time think of this matter, but it will not consume you in the way it will affect the victims.
"The combination of your grossly excessive speed and acceleration immediately before impact, driving on the wrong side of the road, your avoidable distraction of a heated argument on the phone all the while knowing you were under the influence of alcohol are all relevant factors.”
He was jailed for nine-and-a-half years to be served half in custody and half on licence and disqualified from driving for 10 years.
Following sentencing Chief Inspector Dodds said:
“Our thoughts are with Barry’s family and friends.
“I would like to thank our emergency services colleagues and all those who assisted in the immediate aftermath of this collision. I would also like to acknowledge the support we had from Barry’s family and the wider public during this investigation.
“The incredibly sad reality is that this collision; the loss of life and the catastrophic impact this collision has had on Barry’s family, circle of friends and community, could have been avoided had Kovac not made the decision to get behind the wheel after drinking.
“Our message is very straightforward. Never, ever, drink and drive. Just one drink can impair decision-making, which means that just one drink can cause a collision and just one drink could kill. Before consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel, ask yourself – could you live with the responsibility for the death of another person through your actions?
“The results of making the wrong decision can be simply catastrophic.”