A MAN died in Co Clare yesterday after apparently collapsing at the wheel of his car, which then crossed a busy road and collided with another vehicle.
The collision, which involved a car and a van, occurred at about 10am on the N85 Western Relief Road in Ennis, between the Miltown Malbay road and Lahinch road intersections.
The victim has been named locally as Ian Muir (70). He lived in Kilfenora in north Clare and was married with a grown-up family. It is understood that Mr Muir was on his way to Newmarket-on-Fergus when the incident occurred.
Eyewitnesses are understood to have told gardaí that they saw the car "swerving on the road" before the collision. While part of the route is dual carriageway, between Clareabbey and the Ennis bypass, the section where the incident occurred, which was opened last August, is single carriageway.
The car was travelling south along the route while the van was driving in the opposite direction towards the Claureen/Lahinch road junction. The car apparently crossed the white line and collided with the van.
Gardaí are investigating the possibility that Mr Muir may have had a heart attack or other medical episode before losing control.
Two units of the Ennis fire brigade as well as two ambulances from nearby Ennis General Hospital went to the scene.
Mr Muir was trapped in his vehicle following the impact and had to be extricated by fire service personnel using specialist cutting equipment. He was taken to hospital, where he died a short time later. The van driver was also taken to hospital in Ennis. He was slightly injured, but was said to have been suffering from shock.