Lisburn man crashed his vehicle into an electric box 'after taking a coughing fit'
A Lisburn man has been fined and banned from the roads after crashing his vehicle into an electric box in Railway Street in the city centre.
The court was told that the man has health issues and had taken a coughing fit at the time of the accident, leaving him unaware of the damage he had caused.
He appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court charged with a number of motoring offences, including driving without undue care and attention, failing to stop at the accident, and failing to report the accident.
The court heard that on February 28, 2026 the police received a report of a road traffic collision on Railway Street in Lisburn, in which a vehicle had collided with an electric box and an LED sign, causing extensive damage.
The police contacted the owner of the vehicle, the defendant, Mark Connery (59), whose address was given as Rathvarna Gardens in Lisburn, who said he had returned to the scene of the accident.
A defence lawyer told the court: “He experiences coughing fits. He lost control of the vehicle.
"He didn’t realise the extent of the damage he had caused.
"His doctor has told him to stop driving for six months. He is afraid to drive in case something like this happens again and a member of the public is hurt.”
On the charge of driving without due care, District Judge Rosie Watters imposed a fine of £150.
She disqualified the defendant from driving for three months.
She imposed a fine of £50 on each of the other charges, as well as an offender’s levy of £15.