Crash driver left friend to die as hot tar poured onto car

Kelly, 22, fled after hitting lorry at 162KPH Jailed for collision that killed pal Ross

- BY ISABEL HAYES and SONYA MCLEAN

A DRIVER who crashed into a lorry and walked away from the scene while his friend lay dead in the car was jailed for six-and-a-half years yesterday.

Jake Kelly, 22, was trapped underneath the lorry trailer in the wake of the collision in July 2023.

The passenger side was covered in hot tar, which poured out of the back of the lorry upon impact, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.

The body of Ross Rice, 22, was only discovered hours later.

Kelly told gardai he wasn't sure if his friend had got out of the car. Its speedometer was found stopped at 162kph on a 60kph-limit road.

Kelly, of Ballyfermot Road, Ballyfermot admitted dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Rice at Dublin Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare. He also pleaded guilty to failing to report an accident and driving without insurance on the same date. He had no driving licence.

Judge Martina Baxter said the facts of the case were “harrowing”.

She noted the victim's mother died in 2020 and victim impact statements outlined how the family had “lost the heart of the family twice in two years”.

Mr Rice had an 11-month-old baby with his partner when he was killed.

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