Rome driver four times over limit

THE two Irish women killed in Rome by a drunk driver early yesterday were named as Elizabeth Gubbins, from Mount Shannon Road, Lisnagry, Co Limerick, and her friend, Mary Collins, from Co Kildare.

Elizabeth, 28, and Mary, 29, were in Rome for a weekend break when they were knocked down and killed by the son of a former Italian police chief and road safety campaigner.

Prosecutors said the driver sped from the scene while he was four times over the drink-driving limit.

The two women were out celebrating St Patrick’s night and were returning to their hotel at about 3am local time when they were hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing.

Reports say they were pronounced dead at the scene. One of the two women was dragged more than 36.5 metres by the Mercedes car, which failed to stop. A number of American tourists witnessed the accident.

As the car sped off, it crashed into commercial waste bins and then drove into a number of parked cars before the driver, Friedrich Vernarelli, was arrested by police.

“We are all deeply saddened at the sudden death of Elizabeth Gubbins who died in such tragic circumstances. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child,” said Lisnagry parish priest Fr Brendan Kyne.

“The family are very well known locally and I know they will have a lot of support, which we hope will help them through this tragedy,” he added.

Two of Elizabeth’s uncles, Canon Willie Fitzmaurice and Paudie Fitzmaurice, both played hurling for Limerick in the ’70s. Her older brother David, who lives in the US, won two county hurling medals for Ahane GAA Club and her father Tom, an electronic engineer, was previously vice-chairman of the club. Elizabeth’s mother Eileen Gubbins (nee Fitzmaurice) died in August 1997.

The father of the driver accused of killing the two women said he was stunned at the tragedy.

Roberto Vernarelli, a former mayor of the XVII district of Rome and a former police chief, burst into tears as he spoke to local media.

He said: “I haven’t words to describe how I feel. I cannot take it in. Two girls, the same age as my son, are now dead, that is terrible enough, but that my son is to blame? I can’t take it in. It’s unbelievable — he was such a good guy, a normal guy, at home and at work.”

Meanwhile, a woman aged 22 died in a road crash in Co Mayo yesterday.

She was named as Mary Togher from Blacksod View, Eachléim.

Ms Togher was a passenger in a car that crashed through a wire fence into a field in Eachléim on the Erris peninsula at about 5.30am.

She was taken to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar where she was pronounced dead.

The driver and another passenger, both men, were also taken to Mayo General Hospital where they are receiving treatment for their injuries.

In Dublin, a man was killed in a road collision, which happened at 4.30pm on the N81 at Blessington Road. He died when the car he was driving left the road and hit a pole.