THREE PEOPLE died in road crashes in Cork, Carlow and Sligo at the weekend.
Yesterday a man in his early 20s lost his life after the car in which he was travelling crashed on the N22 at Macroom, Co Cork, at about 6.30am.
It is understood the man, from the Millstreet area, was a back-seat passenger. The crash happened on a straight stretch of road when the car veered off the road and collided with a pier.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car and another passenger, also in their 20s, were taken to Cork University Hospital where their condition is not thought to be life threatening.
The area where the crash occurred was closed for a time yesterday morning while Garda forensic collision investigators examined the scene.
Mayor of Macroom Cllr Martin Coughlan extended his condolences to the family of the deceased. “We are going through a spell of crashes and it is hard to know what the cause is,” he said. “A lot of accidents seem to be happening at that time of 6.30 to 7.00 in the morning.”
On Saturday, a woman died when her van was in collision with a car at Drumfin, on the main Sligo-Dublin N4 road, at 9am.
Karen Mounsey (54), who lived in nearby Riverstown, was travelling with her husband when the collision happened between the van and a car coming in the opposite direction. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband, James, and the female car driver were taken to Sligo General Hospital with serious injuries.
A HSE spokesperson said Mr Mounsey, who was transferred to University College Hospital, Galway, was critical. The young woman driving the other car was stable in the Sligo hospital.
The incident happened on a 7km road stretch between Drumfin and Castlebaldwin where there have been four other deaths and several injuries in the past six years.
Local Fine Gael TD John Perry said many promises had been made to improve the road. “I remember as far back as 1999 a route selection was agreed with landowners and still nothing has been done. It’s away down the list of priorities for the National Roads Authority. How many more lives have to be lost before something is done?”
Also on Saturday, a 26-year-old male motorcyclist died in a crash on the R705 at Kilcummney, Co Carlow. Gardaí are investigating the collision between the motorbike and an SUV, which occurred at about 11am. The motorcyclist’s body was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital for a postmortem.