10 people killed in road accidents already this year

THE number of people killed on the State’s roads so far this year rose to 10 yesterday with fatal accidents in Cork and Kilkenny.

A motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Co Cork yesterday afternoon.

The 23-year-old man died when he was involved in a collision with a car at Moneygourney on the road between Carrigaline and Douglas at 2pm.

The dead man was taken to the morgue at Cork University Hospital. Gardaí in Carrigaline are investigating the cause of the accident. The name of the dead man was not being released until next of kin had been informed of the tragedy.

Earlier yesterday, a 29-year-old man died when his car collided with two other vehicles in Co Kilkenny. He was named as Daniel Kirby of Tramore, Co Waterford.

The drivers of the other two vehicles were taken to Waterford Regional Hospital where they are being treated for serious injuries.

The crash happened at Clonmore, near Carrick- On-Suir, shortly before 8am.

The driver of a car died from injuries he received in an accident on Carr’s Hill, near Carrigaline last week. He was named as 59-year-old Arthur O’Connor from Monkstown, Co Cork. Cork now has the most tragic record of road death so far this year.

Last year, 399 people died on the State’s roads. This made last year the worst for road safety since 2001, when 411 people were killed.

Garda National Traffic Bureau statistics show that by January 6, the numbers killed on Irish roads was five, the exact same figure for the same period in the previous year. That statistic has changed dramatically in the last five days however.

One of the most horrific accidents in recent times occurred early on Sunday morning last in which three people died on the N3 near Navan.