Man killed, two teens injured in road crash
A FAMILY trip to the beach on a sunny bank holiday ended in tragedy when a young dad was killed and his daughter and another teenager were seriously injured in a horror road crash.
The 39-year-old man died after the van he was driving collided head-on with a tractor on a rural road in north Cork about 1pm yesterday.
His 15-year-old daughter, a passenger in the van, was last night fighting for her life while a 17-year-old boy, a family friend, suffered serious injuries.
In a tragic twist, it emerged the man’s partner was following behind in a car and came across the scene just moments after the collision. It is understood young children were in the car with her.
The crash occurred on the R522 at Ballincurrig on the Buttevant to Liscarroll Road.
The driver of the van, who was from the Mallow area, was pronounced dead at the scene.
It took emergency services about two hours to cut the injured teenagers from the van, such was the damage caused in the crash.
A FAMILY trip to the beach ended in tragedy yesterday when a young dad was killed and his daughter and another teenager were seriously injured in a horror road crash.
The 39-year-old man died after the van he was driving collided head-on with a tractor on a rural road in north Cork around 1pm yesterday.
His 15-year-old daughter, a passenger in the van, was last night fighting for her life, while a 17-year-old boy, a family friend, also suffered serious injuries in the crash.
In a tragic twist, it has emerged that the man’s partner was following behind in a car and came across the scene just moments after the collision.
It is understood the man’s children, including an infant, were in the car with her.
The incident occurred on the R522 at Ballincurrig on the Buttevant to Liscarroll Road.
The driver of the van was pronounced dead at the scene. He and the teenagers are all from the Mallow area.
It took emergency services around two hours to cut the injured teenagers from the van, such was the damage caused by the crash.
They were then airlifted to the GAA pitch at Bishopstown in Cork city before being transferred by ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH). Emergency services including gardaí, ambulances, paramedics and Rescue Helicopter 112 attended the scene.
The driver of the tractor, a man aged in his late 20s, was not injured in the crash.
A man in the nearby market town Buttevant last night said the area was in “shock” following the tragic incident.
“My heart goes out to the man’s partner, she came around the corner to see what had happened – it is terrifying to think what must have gone through her mind,” he said.
West Cork councillor Declan Hurley said he was saddened to hear the news of the crash.
“After a glorious bank holiday weekend when people were going about their business and just enjoying themselves, it’s absolutely tragic to hear of an accident like this,” he said.
“My sympathies go out to the family and friends of the young man who was killed and I’m sure everyone is just hoping and praying that the two people injured make a full and speedy recovery.
“This just shows how vulnerable we all are on the road and that life can be taken from us in an instant – any loss of life is one too many.”
Cllr John Paul O’Shea told the Irish Independent that the local community was in a deep state of shock.
“It’s truly an awful tragedy,” he said. “It’s the peak of the summer here and you have so many families out and about. You also have a lot of agricultural vehicles on the road, which is a very common sight.
“Of course, we don’t know how this tragic accident occurred yet, but we all have to be very careful on the roads. My heart goes out to the friends and family of the man who died and I hope the teenagers make a full and fast recovery.”
It took emergency services around two hours to cut the teenagers from the van, such was the damage caused in the crash