Great-grandad and young mum killed in horror head-on crash
A GREAT-grandfather and a young mother have been killed in a horrific head-on road crash.
The victims, named locally as John ‘Pops’ Nulty (72) and Rachel Coughlan (34), died in the collision on the Drumcondra Road Lower in Dublin at around 6.30am yesterday.
It is understood that Mr Nulty, who was originally from Balbriggan, was on his way to a hospital appointment when the crash happened.
“I was his best friend for years. He’s the type of person to give you the moon and the stars and expect nothing in return,” a family friend told the Irish Independent.
Gardaí are attempting to discover Ms Coughlan’s movements early yesterday morning and are working to establish if she was present at a house in the area with a number of people before the tragic collision.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident but both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their bodies were removed to the Dublin City Morgue in nearby Whitehall, where post-mortem examinations will be carried out to confirm the causes of death.
Officers attached to Mountjoy garda station are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
At this stage, investigators believe one of the vehicles crossed the road and collided with the other.
However, sources stressed examinations into the tragedy were at a very early stage and further inquiries will be carried out.
Drumcondra Road Lower was sealed-off for several hours yesterday as members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out an examination of the scene, along with forensic collision investigators.
Tributes were last night paid to Mr Nulty, who is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as his siblings.
Ms Coughlan, who is originally from Dublin’s north inner city, is survived by her two young sons.
The accident has brought to 41 the number of people who have died on Irish roads so far this year.
Gardaí have expressed concern about the rise in fatal incidents compared with last year.
“Road deaths have increased by nearly 30pc in 2019. This upward trend must be addressed immediately and An Garda Síochána appeals to every road user to redouble their efforts and to use the road as safely as they possibly can,” gardaí said in a statement.