Three friends killed in crash at blackspot
Young man in hospital with serious injuries
THREE young friends died in a high-speed crash on a notorious stretch of road which has been deemed an accident blackspot in need of ‘emergency’ road works.
Darrell Culbeirt, 21, Katie Graham, 19, and Michael Kelly, 25, died when the red Lexus which was being driven by Mr Culbert crashed and burst into flames on the N80 outside Carlow town on Wednesday night.
A fourth young man is in hospital with serious but non-lifethreatening injuries.
He is said to have suffered lifechanging injuries as a result of the crash. All the victims are understood to have known each other after becoming friends at a service station where car enthusiasts would meet several times a week.
The crash happened on a section of the national road which has seen several serious incidents, including another fatal crash, in the last 12 months.
The council has been attempting to upgrade the road for a number of years, local representatives told the Irish Daily Mail.
Superintendent Anthony Farrell of Carlow Garda Station said it was one of the most severe accident scenes he has attended in his 25 years as a member of the force.
He said: ‘They were driving a red Lexus vehicle. We don’t know the make of it at this time as the damage was so severe.
‘It appears that they were at the Circle K just by Junction 5 there and were headed towards Ballon when the crash happened.
‘One neighbour said it was just like a loud bang. It was a highspeed collision and the rear of the vehicle was on fire. The whole car was not engulfed in flames.
‘Neighbours came out and extinguished the fire. They did what they could.’
He added: ‘It was a horrific scene and I am very conscious of the impact this will have on our own members and we have support in place for them.
‘We are conscious of the families and the impact this tragedy will have on them but also on the wider community and how that impacts in general.
‘In my 25 years of service, it is one of the most severe cases I have attended. It was really, really traumatic. We had our local parish priest Fr Tom Little attend the scene and exercised the Last Rites and also said a prayer with the emergency services.’
Fr Little said that he arrived on the scene of the crash and performed the Last Rites on the bodies of the dead.
He said: ‘I went out to the car accident that was reported to me and when I got there, the emergency services were in attendance and sadly, there were three young people lost their lives in the car.’
He also told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland: ‘As a group we stood around and prayed together for them and for their families. It’s a terrible loss.’
Speaking at the scene, local Fianna Fáil councillor John McDonald, who knows a relative of one of the victims, said: ‘It’s just devastating for the area. Three young lives gone.
‘I got a call at half six this morning, a friend of mine, one of his family members was involved. He rang to tell me this morning so it’s devastating news.
‘The family are really devastated at this time and are looking for privacy. They’re young people from the area all in their early 20s. Three young people, lives lost. Like I said, a huge blow.’
He explained that plans are in place to get the road where the crash happened realigned.
He added: ‘There is a bad turn on the road, the accident happened just away from the bad turn. There could have been other factors last night, there was ice and it was freezing hard there around 12pm.’
Just last week, Carlow County Council heard how there had been two non-fatal accidents on the N80 this year.
At that meeting, Cllr Ken Murnane insisted that Shirley’s Bends, where Wednesday’s accident happened, was an area of serious concern.
He said: ‘It’s a safety issue… it’s more or less an emergency.’
Speaking yesterday, local Fianna Fáil TD Jennifer Murnane O’Connor added: ‘I would just like to pay my respects to the families. Young lives there have been lost, it’s horrific.
‘The whole of Carlow are in shock. It’s sad and we’re thinking of everyone now at this time. One other person in the car is now in hospital, it’s all very sad. ‘With these fatalities across our roads, we have to have proper infrastructure, proper safety and signage, it’s a huge issue with the amount of deaths on the roads.’ Gardaí said they will continue to investigate all the circumstances around the crash and appealed for witnesses to come forward. A spokesman said: ‘Gardaí and emergency services are currently at the scene of a fatal single-vehicle road traffic collision that occurred at approximately 11.30pm on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 on the N80 at Leagh on the Wexford Road in Co. Carlow.
‘Three occupants of the car, the driver and two passengers, were pronounced deceased at the scene. Another passenger in the car, a man in his 20s, was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny with serious but non-lifethreatening injuries.’
‘The N80 at Leagh is currently closed and will remain closed for a number of hours as Garda forensic collision investigators examine the scene. Local diversions are in place.’
Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.
The spokesman said: ‘Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the N80 at Leagh between 11.15pm and midnight are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí.
‘Anyone with any information is asked to contact Carlow Garda Station on 059 913 6620, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.’
‘Neighbours did what they could’ ‘It’s all very sad’