A WEXFORD WOMAN who was pregnant at the time she was involved in a car crash has called for more recognition of unborn babies who die in road traffic incidents. 

Saoirse Aylward was 31 weeks pregnant when she was involved in a serious collision. She later woke up in hospital to the news that she had lost her baby boy, Jax.

In a lengthy victim impact statement at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court today, Aylward (31) expressed her concern for the lack of recognition of the unborn.  

“Discovering that Jax could not be recognised as a separate victim in this incident has deeply affected me and I believe highlights a gap in our judicial system,” she said. 

Before the court for sentencing was Yurii Dudek, with an address listed in Chernivtsi, Oblast, Ukraine. He is charged with dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm on 24 January 2024 at Ballygillane Big, Drinagh, on the main Rosslare Road, Co Wexford. 

Garda John O’Flynn gave evidence of attending the scene of the accident at 7.30pm on the evening in question.

He told prosecuting counsel Sinead Gleeson BL that Aylward was taken from her car by ambulance crew, with the assistance of fire personnel, before being taken to Wexford General Hospital for treatment. 

O’Flynn said he spoke with the accused at the scene. A short time later, he was arrested and brought to Wexford Garda Station for interview.

He said the accused had no previous convictions and that he had a full driving licence and insurance.

Defence counsel Fergal Kavanagh SC said the road is zoned for 100kmph and there have been a number of accidents on that particular stretch.

The accused, he said, was a voluntary driver for a charitable organisation, who has family in the UK. On the evening of the incident, he was driving to Rosslare Europort.

In her victim impact statement, Aylward told the court: “Before the crash, my life felt hopeful and secure. I believed in planning for the future. I believed that if you worked hard, prepared carefully, and loved deeply, you could build something safe and stable for your family. That belief has fundamentally changed.

“I now live with a persistent sense of uncertainty and vulnerability. I understand in a way I never did before how quickly everything can be taken,” she said.

“No amount of preparation or hope can guarantee safety. Every car journey carries anxiety. My children will grow up knowing their mother is tense while driving. This is not something I can simply choose to change.”

Aylward said she lives with “a constant awareness of how fragile life and health are” and that her trauma from the day of the crash continues. 

‘The permanence of this loss is something I carry every day. I did not just lose a baby, I lost my only son. I lost the opportunity to hear him call me ‘Mama’ or to say ‘I love you’, to watch him take his first steps, to bring him to his first day of school. I will never see him grow into a young man, fall in love, get married, or build a life of his own. He will never have the future we imagined for him.”

She said discovering that her son could not be recognised as a separate victim had deeply affected her. 

“I am aware that no sentence can undo what happened. Nothing can bring Jax back. Nothing can restore my body or mind to what they were before that night. However, accountability matters. Recognition matters. Acknowledgement of the full harm caused matters, not only to me, but to my family and to the memory of my son.”

Kavanagh told the court the accused is extremely remorseful for what had happened, the loss of the injured party’s child and the injuries caused. It had been a momentary lapse of concentration with tragic consequences, the court was told. 

Judge Cormac Quinn said this was a very difficult case and that he would finalise matters tomorrow.