Day of carnage on Republic’s roads leaves five people dead
THREE generations of the same family were killed on a day of carnage on the Republic’s roads which left five people dead.
Two women and a seven-yearold boy died when the car they were travelling in collided with an articulated truck on the N17 near Claremorris, Co Mayo at around 1pm.
The victims of the horrific accident were named locally last night as Marcella Wilson, in her 40s, who lived in Belmullet, her son, Sean, and her mother Mary Ann, in her 70s.
It is understood that Marcella was driving the Citroen car when it collided with a truck coming in the opposite direction.
Marcella was taking her mother to a hospital appointment in Galway and was only driving as they had missed a bus in Castlebar.
The driver of the truck was treated at the scene for shock.
The three deaths came on the same day that two American tourists lost their lives following a multi-vehicle crash in Cork. Last night the deceased pair were named locally as James Baker (62) from Columbia, Indiana and Peggy Sue Adams (59) from Ohio.
Both were on holiday in Ireland with their partners, having flown into Dublin last Friday evening.
The accident, on the N20 Cork-Limerick road outside Cork city near the Waterloo junction, involved an articulated lorry and two cars.
Meanwhile, the local community in Belmullet was in shock last night following the three deaths in the Wilson family.
Mary Ann Wilson lived in the townland of Cross, Binghamstown, on the Erris Peninsula, with her husband, Josie. It is understood locals were last night comforting Marcella’s surviving children Amy (16), Kelly (14) and Anthony (8).
Close friend and neighbour Teresa Whelan said everyone in the area is heartbroken. The Sinn Fein councillor told the Irish Independent: “She was such a nice person, a really good person and a great mother. As you can imagine, we are devastated. It’s a huge blow.”
Fr Kevin Hegarty, a co-pastor in Erris, said: “The Wilson family is extremely well-known and liked. People are so stunned they just don’t know what to say.”