Motorist escapes unhurt as junction claims another accident victim
A Cork woman had a miraculous escape during last evening’s rush hour when her car hit a van, mounted a kerb and overturned at the junction of Coach Street and Peter Street.
The woman remained trapped for almost 30 minutes as emergency Cork City fire brigade personnel cut her from the car.
She was then taken to the nearby Mercy Hospital.
A spokesman for the emergency team said they took every precaution, fearing the woman had suffered spinal injuries.
Fortunately, she was not seriously injured.
“She was saved by her seat belt,” was the opinion of a garda at the scene.
The accident happened at around 6pm as the Ford Fiesta, in which the woman was the sole occupant, cut across Coach Street in the direction of the city centre.
The car glanced off a light Fiat commercial van at the junction with Peter Street, appeared to mount a kerb and ended up on its roof.
Such accidents have become almost commonplace, said local Peter Street resident Joe Scanlon.
“Six months ago there were three accidents there at that same spot in just over three hours,” he said.
“And last week, there were three crashes at the junction.”
Mr Scanlon was one of the first people to arrive at the scene of yesterday’s crash.
“I spoke to the woman as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. She seemed to be fine, considering. She said she had to get home because her sister was arriving from America,” he said.
Another onlooker was Mary Hegarty, a member of the Middle Parish Community Association, who said she feared for the safety of the children who lived in the area.
“Children play ball on the street at that very junction, it’s only a matter of time before there is a very serious accident,” she said.
Local residents, she added, had made numerous approaches to the gardaí and the city council with a view to having traffic calming measures installed.
“But nothing has been done,” she said.
“We have been totally ignored,” she added.
