Horrified locals rush in vain to help young woman cyclist killed in collision with lorry
A young woman was killed in a collision between a bicycle and a lorry in Dublin.
The accident happened yesterday morning at Seville Place, near East Wall.
Local people rushed to help the woman in a bid to save her life. However, the victim, who is believed to be in her early 30s, was killed instantly and pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident happened shortly before 11am at the junction of Seville Place and Guild Street.
It is understood the young driver of the truck did not sustain any serious injuries.
However, he was visibly upset and was taken to Beaumont Hospital as a precaution.
A source said last night that a passing motorist stopped after seeing the accident and tried to help the cyclist.
"A woman just stopped her car and jumped out," said the source.
"She immediately started to perform CPR to try and resuscitate her. She was frantically doing everything she could. It was horrific to watch. The cyclist wasn't responding."
Defibrillator
The motorist, who was praised for her efforts by the local community, conducted CPR on the cyclist for several minutes.
A woman who lives close to the scene rushed to get a defibrillator on hearing of the accident.
She said she was shocked by what she saw.
"I couldn't believe what happened, it all just happened in a matter of seconds," she said.
"There's a defibrillator in the local centre across the road and I shouted to the woman performing CPR that I was going to get it.
"I was running to get it, but it was just too late. I don't think it would have helped - what happened was just too serious."
Residents in the area where the accident took place were deeply shaken.
One woman who saw the accident was too upset to speak and broke down when she was approached by gardai.
Local people placed flowers at the scene last night.
Residents called for action to change the layout of the junction where yesterday's accident happened.
The turn-off along Seville Place is a busy road and leads to the Port Tunnel.
Neighbours said traffic volumes in the area have increased considerably since the opening of the Samuel Beckett Bridge in 2009.
"They need to do something about the junction, it's just a disaster. We see people not obeying the rules of the road every day," said one woman.
Mess
"There's three sets of lights and pedestrians don't know where to be crossing, it really is a mess."
The road remained closed for several hours before re-opening to traffic.
The woman's death brings to nine the number of cyclists killed on the roads so far this year, a rate of one a month.
Last week, an 11-year-old boy died following a collision with a car while he was cycling to school outside his home town of Moate, Co Westmeath.
A 13-year-old boy who was hit by a car while cycling in Drogheda last month died from his injuries in hospital.
Independent councillor and former Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke demanded that the area of yesterday's fatality be immediately closed to heavy goods vehicles.
"My heart goes out to the family of that poor young lady. This was a death that did not have to happen," he said.
"We've been looking for a traffic-management plan for that area for years. The area around Seville Place must be immediately closed to trucks and HGVs.
"This is a residential area - there are two schools there, there are cyclists and a young population.
The Port Tunnel is open for heavy vehicles. Every time there's a cyclist death like this, it inevitably involves an HGV."
A garda spokesman appealed for witnesses to yesterday's accident to come forward. Anyone with information can contact Store Street Garda Station on 016668000.
So far this year, 125 people have died in car crashes in Ireland.