21-year-old killed in front of friend

A WEEKEND break turned to tragedy when a young man was knocked down and killed in front of his friend on Saturday.

David O’Flaherty, 21 from Murrough in Galway, was one of three people killed in weekend road accidents.

He had been visiting friends in Ballincollig, Co Cork, with another Galway man, when the accident happened on the main Cork to Macroom road at about 10.30pm.

The friends had been socialising in Podsie O’Mahony’s bar in Ovens for a short while before the accident.

They left the pub shortly after 10pm and began walking towards Ballincollig.

They had just left the well-lit area of the road when the victim was struck by a car travelling in the opposite direction.

The young man was rushed to Cork University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

His friend escaped injury but was treated for shock.

Gardaí described the incident as a tragic accident and are waiting to interview the driver, who stopped at the scene. They are also investigating whether or not the victim was struck by a second vehicle.

In Co Mayo, a London-based publican, who was reconstructing a house in his native county, was killed earlier on Saturday when the van he was driving went out of control and collided with a wall.

Robin Keane, 52, originally from Crossboyne, Claremorris, died instantly in the impact on the N5 near Bohola shortly before 10am.

His wife, Pauline, who was seriously injured, underwent emergency surgery at Mayo General Hospital yesterday.

The death of a teenager whose van hit a tree in Co Cavan yesterday afternoon is also being investigated by gardaí.

The 18-year-old was driving and lost control, while a 17-year-old passenger is fighting for his life after being taken to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. The accident at Straugh, New Inn near Ballyjamesduff happened shortly after midday.

The weekend deaths brought to 13 the number of people killed on the nation’s roads so far this year.