Teen dies amid rising road toll
A 19-year-old passenger in a car lost his life after the car he was in hit a pillar in Co Offaly on Friday. It's the latest in a long list of fatalities in another black week for road deaths before Christmas.
As yet another road safety campaign began, this year focusing on the real-life victims of road traffic accidents, road deaths continued to mount -- though fatalities are expected to be fewer than last year, when 365 were killed.
The incident where the young man died in Offaly happened at 11pm at Monasteroais, Edenderry, and the driver of the car was seriously injured. His death happened four hours after a horrific crash in rush hour on the Dublin Road outside Limerick. Two men were killed after the car in which they were travelling was involved in a head-on collision with an articulated truck on the busy N7 road near Daly's Cross at 5.10pm. Patrick Hartnett, 41, of Alder Close, Elm Park, and Ross Mc Inerney, 23, of Cathedral Villas, Garryowen, were in a Toyota Corolla which struck the truck coming into the city.
Road deaths claimed more lives on Thursday. A 27-year- old motorcyclist died when his bike was in a collision with a car at Gurteen, Slieverue, Co Kilkenny, while the two occupants of the car were seriously injured.
He was named as Kenneth Scannell of Curraghmore, near Slieverue.
Another motorcyclist died the same day in a crash at Ballyknock, Ballymitty, Wellington Bridge, Co Wexford, involving his motorbike and a car. He was Jude Sneyd, 28, of Shelburne Place, Campile, New Ross.
On the same day, an American expatriate died in hospital in Co Kerry after a two-car collision. It happened at Artully, Kilgarvan. James Nelson, 65, from Kilmacalogue, Lauragh, Killarney, was the driver of one of the cars. He was originally from Ohio but relocated to Kerry several years ago with his wife.
The same day, a 63-year-old female pedestrian died after she was struck by a truck at the junction of Phibsboro Road and the North Circular Road at Doyle's Corner, Dublin. She has not yet been named.
On Sunday, a 32-year-old man died in a single vehicle accident at Tyrrellspass, Co Westmeath. He was named as Philip Brady, from Ballyreehan, Co Longford.
A woman cyclist also died at Kildare Road, Rathangan, Co Kildare,when she was struck by a van which failed to remain at the scene.
The dead woman was named as Kathleen Dowling, 61, St Patrick's Pk, Rathangan, Co Kildare. A 26 year-old-man was later arrested by Gardai in connection with the investigation and a van was recovered.
So far this year 322 people have died on our roads.
- don lavery
