Two women and man killed in horror crash
The driver of the car, 22-year-old Gerard McLoughlin, was killed along with Celine McArdle, also 22, and 21-year-old Elaine McGeogh. All three were from Dundalk.
Their car careered across the M1 motorway near Monasterboice into an oncoming van.
Two men who were travelling in the van were said to be stable in hospital last night.
This stretch of roadway has claimed 17 lives in the past four years. But last night gardaí said the area where yesterday’s crash occurred was not deemed dangerous.
The three victims were heading south on the N1 in Co Louth when their car crossed over the central reservation, through a light wire fence and into the path of northbound traffic. The body of one of the women was thrown out of the car by the impact and was found over 10 metres from the crash site.
Relatives of the dead visited the scene yesterday and laid flowers at the side of the road.
The collision occurred about a mile north of Monasterboice at about 2.10pm.
A fleet of ambulances took the dead and injured to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Gardaí have begun an investigation.
The stretch of roadway is one of Ireland’s busiest and carries the bulk of the country’s north-south traffic. It was cordoned off after the incident and diversions caused delays.
Following the crash, Fine Gael called on the Government to provide more funding for the National Roads Authority.
