Man killed after being hit by two cars while crossing road
A YOUNG accountant who was tragically killed after being hit by two cars while crossing the road may have been invisible to the drivers because he had just got out of a van-sized taxi.
Robert McLoughlin (29) died when he was hit on the Old Newry Road in Dundalk, Co Louth, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It is understood he had just got out of a taxi and was hit by two cars while crossing the road.
However, because the taxi was a large, van-style vehicle the drivers of the cars that hit Mr McLoughlin may not have seen him standing behind it until it was too late.
The cars that hit Mr McLoughlin were travelling in the same direction, one behind the other.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, on the R132, shortly after 3.15am.
Local Fine Gael councillor John McGahon, who was a close friend of Mr McLoughlin, said the community has been left devastated by his death.
“Robert has been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember,” said Cllr McGahon.
“Robert to me and my group of friends was always the go-to guy. He was always the guy you’d go to if you had a problem.
“He was always the guy you could rely on. This is such a total and utter tragedy. I’ve never been in this position before to explain it properly.
“All I can say is that he will be sincerely and greatly missed by every single one of his friends, who are in the hundreds,” he added.
Mr McLoughlin is survived by his parents, Sid and Attracta, his brother Stephen, and his sister Kim.
Mr McLoughlin’s parents were out of the country when the tragedy happened and immediately organised to return home when they learned of the terrible news.
“He’ll be greatly missed by his older brother and sister and he’ll be greatly missed by his mother and father and the rest of his extended family,” said Cllr McGahon.
Fianna Fáil councillor Conor Keelan also offered his condolences to the McLoughlin family.
“Robert and his family are very well respected in the local community. This will come as a major shock to the local community,” Cllr Keelan said.
“It’s just very unfortunate that we have a tragedy of a young man from such a decent family. He was in the prime of his life.
“My family have known the McLoughlin family all our lives.
“Traffic on this road is always quite heavy and it is unfortunate that there are still calls for traffic cameras in this area. It’s the least that can be done,” Cllr Keelan added.
Mr McLoughlin was a big fan of Dundalk FC and it is understood he had watched the team play against Bohemians at Oriel Park before socialising with friends in the hours before the accident.
Friends said he had been promoted in work within the last fortnight.
Gardaí confirmed the drivers of the cars involved, a man and a woman, were uninjured in the incident.
The road was closed for a time to facilitate an examination of the area by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.
A Garda spokesman said: “The incident happened at 3.15am on October 21 on the R132, Old Newry Road, Dundalk. The man was struck by two cars... and he was pronounced dead at the scene.”