Miracle escape as milk truck crashes in gardens

IT WAS another weekend of carnage on the nation’s roads but two families in the North had a miraculous escape yesterday when a milk truck smashed into their front gardens.

Two people were killed in two separate accidents in Dublin and Monaghan on Saturday, bringing to 250 the number of people killed on Irish roads so far this year - 22 more than for the same period in 2003.

But in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, two families on the Carland Road had a miraculous escape yesterday morning when a milk lorry jack-knifed and overturned into their front gardens.

The footpath outside their homes is normally busy with people visiting the nearby cemetery.

In a similar incident last Thursday, Samantha Murphy, 12, narrowly escaped death when a 25-tonne tanker smashed into the garden of her home in Ballybofey, Co Donegal.

She had been playing in the garden just moments earlier.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Dublin last night issued an appeal for witnesses to a motorway accident on Saturday evening in which a man in his 20s died.

The accident occurred at about 6pm at the junction of the M1 motorway and the N1 at Lissenhall.

The man, who was the sole occupant, lost control of his car as he approached a roundabout off the M1.

It somersaulted through the air and he was thrown from the car. He died from his injuries in Beaumont hospital later.

Two cars stopped at the scene but a third, a dark-coloured Volkswagen Polo, slowed down and then moved on.

A Garda spokesman said it was driven by a woman and had a number of passengers inside.

“They didn’t do anything wrong but we want them to contact us because we need more information about the accident,” he said.

Witnesses should contact Swords Garda Station by telephone on 01-6664700.

Earlier on Saturday, Kestas Gebdminas, originally from Lithuania but living in Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, died in a single vehicle accident.

Mr Gebdminas, in his 20s, lost control of the car at about 6am at Cabra Cross in Castleblayney.

A male passenger, also in his 20s, was injured and was removed to hospital in Drogheda.