Man, 80, has lucky escape as car crashes into home for sixth time in 10 years

AN elderly man has had a miraculous escape after a car crashed through his front wall and into his home.

It was the sixth such near-tragedy at a location where Clare County Council has reportedly refused to construct a crash barrier.

The latest crash occurred at around 8.20am yesterday when two cars collided head-on outside the home of 80-year-old retired farmer, Martin McGuane, on the Ennis to Galway road at Bunnahow, Tubber.

One of the cars then crashed through the front railing of the house before impacting the house that stands close to a sweeping bend about a mile from the Galway/Clare border.

Mr McGuane had just finished his breakfast and heard the collision which was quickly followed by the impact on his home. He looked out to see a Volkswagen Golf overturned and blocking his front door. The young driver was trapped inside while the driver of the second car, a Toyota Avensis, was also badly hurt.

Fire crews had to use specialist cutting equipment to free the casualties.

Mr McGuane said: “I heard the bang. I looked out the window and saw a car in my front garden. Some man who stopped called the guards.

“This is the sixth time in the past 10 years that my front wall has been demolished. There have been a lot of accidents on the road right here but cars have crashed into my garden six times now. It’s a bad stretch and apart from widening the road a bit a few years ago, the council won’t do a thing for us,” he added.

His son Aidan said: “There have been so many accidents right here its unbelievable. He (Martin) won’t use the front door for fear of what might happen.

“Of all the crashes here, cars have ended up in the garden six times now. That wall has been knocked every time. Only this week one of his grandchildren cut the lawn for him and the postman always parks there where the car came in. I don’t think he’ll park there again. We asked the council to put a crash barrier there but they said we would have to do it ourselves.”

Cllr Mr Pat Hayes said: “I am shocked. There is a duty on Clare County Council and the National Roads Authority when there is a known accident blackspot like this to erect crash barriers and other safety measures.”