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A health care assistant who took a wrong turn at the Castledawson roundabout and did a U-turn on the Glenshane Road colliding with an oncoming car, was fined £215 at Magherafelt Magistrates Court on Wednesday (April 13).

Twenty-five-year-old Celene O’Brien from Moor Road, Coalisland, was also given five penalty points when she admitted driving without due care and attention.

The court heard the collision happened at approximately 12.20pm on September 18 last year.

Prosecuting counsel said the defendant was heading in the direction of Maghera when she realised she had taken a wrong turn and did a U-turn across two lanes marked by solid white lines.

Magherafelt Magistrates Court sits at Bishop Street courhouse in Derry / Londonderry.

The lawyer said the manoeuvre gave an oncoming vehicle no time to avoid colliding with her vehicle.

He said significant damage was caused to the fronts of both vehicles.

Counsel said the defendant also sustained a severe laceration to her forehead.

A defence lawyer said the defendant was driving to Ballymena from Cookstown and was not familiar with the road.

He said she took a wrong turn at the roundabout in a momentary lapse of concentration and then without making the proper checks, made the turn. The lawyer said O’Brien was “very lucky” not to be facing a charge of dangerous driving.

He said she is a single mother and fully accepted that she made a mistake in which she suffered a serious facial injury.

Deputy District Judge Sean O’Hare remarked it was “a poor piece of driving and a poor decision while trying to rectify her mistake”.

Made U-turn on Glenshane Road and caused collision