Mother and children taken to hospital after crash with lorry

A WOMAN and her three children were taken to hospital in Cork last night after the car in which they were travelling was struck by a lorry.

The accident happened on the Midleton to Whitegate road at Whitewell Cross at about 5.10pm.

All four family members were taken to Cork University Hospital where last night a spokeswoman said the woman, who is in her 40s, was in critical condition.

She said the three children who are aged 11, seven and four years were in comfortable condition.

Gardaí closed off the road for most of the evening as they carried out a forensic examination of the scene.

Gardaí in Midleton have appealed for anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them on 021-4621550.

Meanwhile, an 81-year-old man died yesterday after apparently collapsing at the wheel of his car before it lost control, crossed a busy road and collided with a van.

Gardaí believe the local pensioner may have suffered a heart attack as he drove his Toyota Corolla along Sandfield Road in Ennis, Co Clare, shortly after 8am. One person in the white Ford Transit van was slightly injured.

The incident occurred at the rear of Ennis General Hospital. Emergency services tried in vain to revive the man who was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were three occupants in the van all of whom were builders on their way to work.

One of them was taken to hospital for treatment of what are believed to be minor injuries.

Two units of the fire brigade from Ennis also attended the incident, however one of those was soon diverted to a second collision which occurred around the same time a short distance away at Cappahard on the Tulla Road.

A 300-metre stretch of Sandfield Road remained closed for several hours yesterday as crash scene investigators carried out a technical examination of the area.

Yesterday’s death brings to 10 the number of people who have died on the road in Clare so far this year. Nine people died as a result of collisions while a postmortem and subsequent coroner’s inquest have yet to determine whether yesterday’s victim died as a result of the collision or following a heart attack or other condition prior to the incident.

Gardaí in Ennis have appealed for witnesses to the incident to contact them at 065 68 48100.

In Donegal, gardaí were last night investigating a crash in which a woman in her 60s was killed and two men wereinjured. The accident happened at Claggan in Moville at 2.45pm. The woman was a passenger in the car when it collided with another vehicle.

Two men, believed to be the drivers of the cars were taken to Letterkenny General Hospital.

The road was closed off while gardaí examined the scene.