Lucky escape for bystanders in bus crash
The driver was John O’Callaghan, 62, from Abbeydorney, Co Kerry. The 52-seater, private bus, which had no passengers, was on its way from Tralee to Dublin when it crashed into the drapery premises of JK O’Connor, Lower Main Street, Castleisland, at about 3.15am.
The corner of the three-storey building was extensively damaged and a heap of rubble collapsed in front of the bus, which was also badly damaged.
It took firemen three hours to extricate the driver’s body from the vehicle.
Gardaí declined to comment on local reports that he may have died from a heart attack and said they are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination. Two of the bystanders were injured, one sustained a broken arm after being hit by falling masonry and the other received cuts and bruises. They are believed to have been waiting for taxis and were treated in Kerry General Hospital, Tralee. “The story could have been a lot worse and the bystanders were extremely lucky,” said Sergeant John Kelly.
The landmark JK O’Connor building, one of the oldest in Castleisland, was surveyed by engineers and cordoned off yesterday.
It closed for business following the crash and it could be declared unsafe because of structural damage, according to gardaí.
Meanwhile, the family of two-year-old Kerry boy, James Dunleavy, who died in a tragic accident on Saturday, were being comforted by relatives and friends yesterday.
One of four children, James died after getting caught in the partially opened window of a car parked at his home, in Ballyfinnane, Firies.
The son of William and Lorraine Dunleavy, he is also survived by a twin sister, Sarah, and older siblings, Jonathan and Simon.
