Deadly month as toll up 10 on last year

A SCHOOLGIRL and her little brother died in a crash yesterday — the last victims in what was among the most deadly Februarys on our roads in recent years.

Last night, their mother battled for her life at Tallaght Hospital after being moved from the Midlands Hospital in Portlaoise.

The girl, 8, and boy, 7, were passengers in the car which was involved in a head-on crash with a lorry on a dangerous stretch of road at Walterstown, Nurney, Co Kildare.

Another child in the car was taken to the hospital in Portlaoise.

Despite a dramatic improvement in the country’s road safety record last year the death toll has begun to rise rapidly in 2008.

So far this year 57 people killed on the roads, 10 more than during the first two months of 2007.

The past week has been particularly horrific.

On Tuesday, Bridget Byrne, 82, of Laureldine, Ballymany, Newbridge, Co Kildare was killed when she was knocked down by a van.

On Wednesday, Jacob Odeyemi, 41, of Carrigmore Lawns, Citywest, Dublin, was killed when the car he was driving hit a pole on the Naas Road near Baldonnell.

In Galway, John Flaherty, 59, of Tullyvoheen, Clifden, died in Moycullen when he was hit by a car.

On the same day, Tim Roche, 35, was killed in a crash in Coachford, Co Cork when the 4x4 he was driving hit a car.

And a man in his 60s died when his car was hit by a train near his home in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

Yesterday, gardaí confirmed a woman in her 70s died from injuries following a crash on the Killorglin to Glenbeigh road on Tuesday.

A young man remains in a life-threatening condition after a crash in Clontibret, Co Monaghan, at 3.30pm on Thursday.

The crash occurred at a wide stretch of the road near Clontibret Chapel and involved a lorry and a van.

The driver of the van was taken by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, but was transferred to Dublin’s Beaumont hospital where he is believed to be “critical but stable”.