‘People were packed underneath the car’
Eye witnesses tell of priest’s horror crash at funeral
AN eye witness has described seeing people ‘packed’ under a car which was accidentally driven into a crowd at a funeral yesterday.
Seven people were injured when a priest who was due to assist at the Mass drove into mourners in the grounds of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Clondalkin, west Dublin.
The priest is believed to have fallen ill while driving his
Toyota car. It’s understood up to 13 people were treated at the scene. Four injured people were taken to hospital. One was brought to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown with minor injuries, two were taken to St. James’s, and one was brought to Tallaght Hospital.
It’s understood two of the injured people remained in a serious condition last night.
Eye witness Larry Mooney from Blackrock, south Dublin, said: ‘It sounded like the church was actually collapsing. It was an unbelievable sound, and then I saw all of the people just rushing back. It was only about 20 feet away from where I was standing and it was packed with people.
‘And then I discovered it was a car with all of the people packed underneath it.
‘There was also a man who broke his thumb as well. A number of people were very seriously injured. There were nearly 200 people standing outside the Church when this all happened,’ he said. Maureen McNulty from Clondalkin, who was only a few feet away when the accident happened at 10.20am, said: ‘First I heard a bang, and then everybody was running and I walked over to see it and saw all the bodies on the ground.
‘I was only a yard away. I’m on a stick, I am very lucky, I count my blessings.
‘My God, it was horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. You couldn’t write the script.
‘I count myself lucky. I’m lucky I am, you know. There’s going to be a lot of people in a very bad state of shock.
‘God help the priest, God help him. The cortege went twice around the village while they were allowing the ambulance to come in. I’m pretty shook.
‘I go to the Monday club, we are seniors and we have a Monday club there. So, we open the house, our club, to the people who come to the funeral. We give them tea and coffee and biscuits.’
‘It was tough. I’m not adding any frills, I’m telling you as it is. But I am just grateful. I could have been in that crowd and my husband had just dropped me off at the gate. He will know I’m infallible.’
The funeral for a prominent figure in the motor sports industry had to be postponed until 1pm as a result of the accident.
Several units of the fire brigade and ambulance services attended while the New Road in Clondalkin was closed off to traffic for around two hours.
‘I saw all the bodies on the ground’