Ireland

Ramming of patrol car in Donegal leaves one garda injured, another in near-miss

Incident ‘highlights the dangers our members are being exposed to with alarming regularity’, says GRA

Gardaí said the patrol car was rammed at Higginstown Cross, Ballyshannon in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Stephen Maguire
Sat Dec 10 2022 - 11:12

Gardaí in Co Donegal are hunting for a dangerous driver after an officer was injured and another had to jump for cover when their patrol car was rammed.

The incident occurred at Higginstown Cross, Ballyshannon in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The offending car, a red Skoda Fabia with a partial registration number of 05 DL, left the scene of the incident.

The extent of the garda’s injuries have not been released.

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A Garda spokesperson confirmed: “A patrol car was rammed and one Garda member was injured. During the course of the incident another Garda member was forced to seek cover when the car drove at them. This member was not injured.”

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward, including anyone with dashcam footage.

“Gardaí are particularly interested in any sightings of this vehicle in the Ballyshannon, Donegal Town and Mountcharles areas,” the spokesperson added.

President of the Garda Representative Association Brendan O’Connor said: “This incident again highlights the dangers our members are being exposed to with alarming regularity.

“The public and our elected representatives were shocked and outraged when footage of such incidents was shared on social media recently yet many of these incidents which are life threatening go unnoticed and unreported.

“The incident in Ballyshannon like many such incidents goes unrecorded which puts investigators at a disadvantage. This is down to a lack of investment in equipment.”

Meanwhile, gardaí are appealing for witnesses following a road traffic collision on the N7 at Rathcoole, Co Dublin on Thursday.

Shortly after 4am, gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a two vehicle collision between a car and a lorry.

The driver of the car, a man in his 40s, was taken from the scene by ambulance to Tallaght Hospital. His condition was described on Saturday as critical but stable.

Anyone with information, including anyone with camera footage, is asked to contact Clondalkin Garda Station on (01) 666 7600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

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