Separate investigations are underway into the death of a man in his late 20s in a crash on a road near Gorey in Co Wexford in the early hours of Sunday.
The Garda is conducting an inquiry into the cause of the crash and is appealing for witnesses to the fatal incident to come forward.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) has been informed and is carrying out its own separate inquiries.
The man was seriously injured when his car, in which he was travelling alone, left the road and struck a tree at Clonattin Lower on the Arklow Road. He was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin where he later died.
The Irish Times understands the victim passed a Garda car on the road before the crash. Gardaí and Gsoc were trying to establish if the man turned in the road, perhaps to evade gardaí, and then crashed a short time later.
The sequence of events and the proximity of gardaí to the victim’s car when he died was still being established on Sunday. However, sources said the victim was not being chased by gardaí at the time.
While Gsoc investigates complaints made about Garda members it is also legally obliged to investigate any incident where a person has been injured or killed at or around a time they had any interactions with members of the force.
This includes fatal crashes where a Garda car may be in pursuit or even in the proximity of a vehicle that later crashed.
“The scene is being examined by Garda Forensic Examiners and the road is currently closed with local diversions in place,” a Garda spokesman said.
Anyone who travelled the road at the time of the collision and who may have information or dash cam footage is asked to call Gorey Garda station on (053) 9430690, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
Meanwhile, gardaí in Co Kerry are investigating a collision in which a pedestrian was killed at Aughacasla in Castlegregory in the early hours of Sunday.
A man in his 50s died after being struck by a car at around 2.30am. The driver of the car, a man in his mid 20s, was not injured and a female passenger was taken to Kerry University Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
The was scene closed off to be examined by forensic gardaí and diversions were put in place. Anyone with information is asked to contact gardaí in Tralee on (066) 702300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
