Jogger killed when hit by van on walkway was mother-of-four

A woman killed when a van was driven onto the segregated walkway and cycleway she was jogging on in north Dublin has been named locally as Nuala Grant.

The deceased woman was a married mother-of-four from Bettyglen, Raheny. She was jogging along the coast at Raheny when a man in a van drove onto the segregated pathway and the vehicle hit her causing fatal injuries.

Ms Grant (30s) had worked for almost 15 years as a social worker in a child protection team but more recently had worked in play therapy for children in a private capacity.

She jogged for recreation with other mothers in a running group and also took part in some races for leisure.

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Ms Grant was pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal crash, which occurred at about 7pm on Wednesday on the coastal section of Howth Road, Raheny, Dublin 5.

Vehicular traffic is not permitted on the shared cycleway and walkway that the white Renault van was being driven on and where Ms Grant was running.

The pathway for cycling and walking is segregated from the section of Howth Road parallel to it by a low stone wall. A key part of the investigation into Ms Grant’s death is how the sole occupant of the van drove the vehicle onto the cycling and walking pathway.

Gardaí suspect the driver travelled down Kilbarrack Road to the junction of Howth Road and Dublin Road, with the intention of turning right onto Howth Road.

One line of inquiry is that rather than turning right onto Howth Road, the driver turned right onto the segregated pathway on the promenade.

At the junction where Kilbarrack Road, Howth Road and Dublin Road meet there is an opening into the segregated pathway large enough for a vehicle to be driven through, from which point a vehicle could be turned left or right onto the segregated pathway.

Once on the pathway the van was driven down it, hitting Ms Grant and fatally injuring her.

From the point where the driver appears to have entered the segregated pathway to where the van stopped is close to 1km.

Garda sources said the scene that was examined was a large one and that the exact circumstances of the vehicle being driven onto a segregated pathway would take time to establish.

The same sources said the driver of the van had an acute health condition and had been fitted with a medical device to maintain stability in his day-to-day wellbeing. Gardaí were trying to establish if he may have suffered a serious health episode while behind the wheel.