Polish man dies as truck hits barn

A TRUCK driver died yesterday when his vehicle left the road and struck a barn.

The accident happened near Croom, Co Limerick, at about 6am.

The dead man will not be named until his family have been notified.

He was a native of Poland and was living in Youghal.

The man was making a delivery run to Limerick for a Cork confectionery company when the accident happened at Banogue.

His truck crashed through a ditch and came to a halt after hitting a barn structure. He died at the scene.

The body was removed to the Mid Western Regional Hospital where a postmortem examination was carried out.

There were long traffic tailbacks until early afternoon. Gardaí closed off a section of the main Croom to Charleville Road while a forensic examination of the scene was carried out and diversions were put in place.

Gardaí at Croom are seeking witnesses to the accident.

There was no other vehicle involved in the accident, and one theory is that the driver may have suffered an attack and collapsed at the wheel moments before his lorry left the road.

An inquest will be held after the postmortem examination results are known.

A Garda file will be sent to the coroner’s office.