Four people killed in weekend road crashes

A RECORD low number of road deaths in the first quarter of 2010 has been spoiled by news that four families have lost loved ones on the roads so far this month.

The Easter weekend claimed three lives since Good Friday afternoon, with three men dying in separate incidents in Louth, Kilkenny and Wexford.

A 70-year-old man killed in a two-car crash near Dunleer, Co Louth was the only occupant of a car which collided with another vehicle on the road between Collon and Dunleer. The four people in the other vehicle escaped injury in the crash on Friday afternoon.

At around 10.30pm on Friday, a 67-year-old man was knocked down by a car at Julianstown, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.

He was taken to hospital in Kilkenny but was pronounced dead a short time later.

The third weekend accident happened in the early hours of Saturday when a 24-year-old man was killed as he returned to the scene of his broken-down car at Ardcanvass Bridge, Killurin, Co Wexford.

Andrew Casey was returning home at 2am on Saturday to Ballygoman, Barntown, when his car broke down.

After completing his journey home by taxi, he cycled back to the scene to try and restart the car.

An oncoming vehicle collided with the parked car, which was pushed to the opposite side of the road and hit Mr Casey, who died shortly afterwards in Wexford General Hospital.

The driver of the second car was taken to hospital but his injuries are not life- threatening. Mr Casey was a grandson of Seamus Casey, the former owner of Casey’s Cedars Hotel in Rosslare, and a grand- nephew of retired Bishop Eamon Casey.

Gardaí in Wexford are appealing for witnesses to the accident to contact 053 9165202.

The four deaths in the first three days of April – including the death of a driver near Cappamore, Co Limerick in the early hours of Friday – are in marked contrast to just 11 road deaths last month.

This is believed to be the lowest number of fatalities on Irish roads in any month since records began more than 40 years ago.

Just 14 people were killed in motor accidents in February and 15 in January, amounting to 40 for the first three months of this year. This was 17 fewer compared with the same period last year.