DAD RUN DOWN BY CAR IN A ‘PRANK’
Victim home from US on holiday
A DAD was run over and killed by a man known to him in a prank that went tragically wrong, gardai fear.
It is believed Alan Callaghan deliberately lay down in front of the car or jumped out ahead of it as a joke.
But the driver didn’t see him and ran him over. Mr Callaghan, 46, suffered fatal injuries in the accident on Achill Island, Co Mayo, on Monday.
The tragic Irish emigrant was back in Ireland from the US for a summer holiday with his family.
Gardai are now treating the incident as a freak accident.
Investigators are understood to be satisfied that the innocent driver of the car immediately stopped when he realised what had happened.
Earlier in the night Mr Callaghan had left a social gathering and went out walking – before the man known to him decided to go and look for him in a car.
The shocking collision occurred at about 3.15am. Emergency services rushed to the scene.
The distraught driver, who gardai believe acted in good faith, and could not prevent the tragedy, has been cooperative with investigating officers.
It is understood that officers have since been informed that Mr Callaghan was known to play pranks in the past by lying down on a road.
The victim, who is originally from the Tiernaur area near Newport in Co
Mayo, had been living in San Francisco with his wife and their two sons for the last number of years.
He acted as the agent for an active Californian business entity, Nuport Construction Inc.
A death notice posted to RIP.IE said he “will be dearly missed by his loving wife Sharon and his heartbroken sons Jack and Finn”.
His remains reposed last night in Newport where close family and friends attended.
Alan’s private funeral is set to take place this afternoon at Shannon Crematorium.
Gardai are appealing for witnesses in relation to the fatal incident.