More accidents on killer stretch of road

December 1991

A KILLER stretch of road was once again the scene of some more serious accidents over the past week and, in the case of two incidents, it was a miracle that lives were not lost.

The most dramatic accident occurred at lunch time on Monday when a Dublin man had to be cut from the wreckage of his car outside the Cullenmore Hotel after it had been in a collision with a juggernaut.

Miraculously, he escaped with only minor injuries despite being trapped in the vehicle which was almost unrecognisable after the smash.

The car was travelling towards Dublin while the juggernaut was heading to Ashford.

A more serious head-on crash took place on Friday after a VW van and a Jeep collided. One man was seriously injured in the accident at Ballyhenry.

The Dublin driver of the van escaped injury. Accidents on the stretch of road from Ashford to Kiltimon have become a regular occurrence down through the years.

At one time in the late sixties and seventies a total of 22 people were killed on that comparatively short stretch of road.

Locals claim motorists travel at high speed into the bad Cullenmore Bends after driving off the new by-pass and are unable to negotiate the turns.

Oil spillages and wet surfaces are also a contributory factor to the road’s dangerous reputation.