Presidential candidate Mairead McGuinness attended gala event five days after 'severe injury' from car crash
Fine Gael presidential candidate Mairead McGuinness attended a gala event five days after a car accident she received damages for "severe and debilitating injuries" that "interfered with her enjoyment of life and all routine and other activities”.
The former Fine Gael MEP, then working for RTÉ, was among attendees at a 26 September, 2003 lunch featuring celebrity chef Richard Corrigan, according to the Meath Chronicle.
McGuinness claimed in legal proceedings that a 21 September collision in Monaghan left her with neck and back injuries that restricted activities in her personal and professional life.
Other attendees at the state event McGuinness attended after the crash included office of public works minister Tom Parlon and Bord Bia chief executive Michael Duffy. RTÉ colleagues Damien O'Reilly and Frances Shanahan also attended.
After the crash
The crash occurred when McGuinness was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, which struck a rental vehicle operated by an American tourist. In a statement to gardaí her husband said the other car "just flashed out in front" and there was nothing he could do to avoid impact, the Irish Times reported.
McGuinness sued two companies: Ryan's Investments Ltd, which operates as Hertz Rent-a-Car from Ferrybank in Wexford, and MMM Ltd, trading as Bolands in Waterford. She initiated proceedings in May 2004. The financial terms of the April 2005 settlement were never made public.
The September 2003 event McGuinness went to after the crash was part of Food at Farmleigh, a government programme at the state venue. The Office of Public Works and Bord Bia had invited celebrity chef Corrigan and other top chefs for a series of promotional events.
The Farmleigh lunch was not McGuinness's only public appearance in the weeks after the accident.
On 13 October she was photographed at the launch of National Pensions Awareness Week alongside RTÉ colleague Damian McCaul and government officials.
When the Irish Mirror questioned McGuinness about the case in 2019, she said she couldn’t "remember the details" and refused to reveal the settlement amount.
McGuinness filed her compensation claim less than a month before winning a European Parliament seat in June 2004.
McGuinness has been contacted for comment.