CARNAGE: Victim’s mother tells of heartbreak

THE mother of one of the victims in the state’s worst road accident has spoken of her heartbreak at losing a son “with a heart of gold”.

Philomena McEleney, 50, wept as she recounted how two young girls had called to the family home close to midnight on Sunday to tell her a crash had occurred just yards away.

Her 23-year-old son, James, was one of seven who died shortly after 10.30pm on Sunday when the black VW Passat they were travelling was in collision with a Toyota Corolla, driven by 66-year-old pensioner Hugh Friel who also died at the scene.