M50 pile-up: Army rejects call to suspend trucks

THE Defence Forces has ruled out calls for the suspension of the use of army trucks for moving army personnel following a multi-vehicle collision on the M50 yesterday in which 28 soldiers were injured.

PDFORRA, the trade union representing rank-and-file members of the Defence Forces, expressed concern about the safety of its members travelling in such vehicles until they were fitted with additional safety features.

PDFORRA spokesman Simon Devereux claimed the issue of safety regarding military trucks had already been raised after a previous road accident at Granard, Co Longford, in June 2007 in which 12 members of the Defence Forces were injured.

Mr Devereux called for the immediate suspension of the use of the canvas-topped trucks until they were equipped with roll-over protection systems and safety harnesses.

However, a Defence Forces spokesman said last night that such a suggestion was “impractical” given the reliance on such vehicles for transporting military personnel for operations and training.

Comdt Gavin Young pointed out that the Defences Forces were in the “early stages” of procuring new protection systems for 150 military trucks. He claimed the Defence Forces had already secured funding for the additional safety measures in their annual budget.

The Defence Forces confirmed last night that 28 soldiers from the Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines, Dublin, had been injured in the collision that occurred on the M50 at about 10.50am.

They were brought to five hospitals in the Dublin area by a fleet of ambulances, which went to the scene of the accident near the Ballymun junction on the northbound section of the M50.

Early fears that some members of the Defence Forces had suffered serious injuries including broken bones proved unfounded.

Sixteen soldiers were released yesterday afternoon after treatment for minor injuries, while the remaining 12 were released from St Bricin’s Military Hospital yesterday evening. The Defence Forces said the most serious injury suffered was a dislocated shoulder.

Three army trucks and two other vehicles were involved in the spectacular pile-up, which caused massive tailbacks on the state’s busiest road.

The military trucks were part of a nine-vehicle convoy transporting 75 members of a potential non-commissioned officer course for a training exercise in the Cooley Mountains in Co Louth.

The accident resulted in the closure of the northbound section of the M50 between Finglas and the M1 interchange for almost three hours.

It also caused huge delays on access roads including the N2 and N3 as Dublin airport-bound traffic was diverted through Finglas and Ballymun.

Separate Garda and Defence Forces investigations will be conducted into the cause of the crash.