Man, 80, in fear after second crash in 10 days outside home
Martin McGuane, 80, was woken by the sound of a crash outside Bunnahow, Tubber, Co Clare, shortly after 6.30am on Sunday.
A red Toyota car collided with the wall of the family farm before overturning and coming to a stop in the middle of the main Ennis to Galway road. The driver received serious but non life-threatening injuries.
The incident has placed Clare County Council back in the spotlight after previously refusing to erect crash barriers or traffic calming measures at the notorious accident blackspot. The last incident was 10 days ago when a car collided with another vehicle outside Mr McGuane’s home before spinning out of control and overturning in the pensioner’s front garden. The car came to rest against Mr McGuane’s house blocking his front door and sitting room window.
As many as 20 other collisions have occurred on the roadway outside his home in the past decade. While some have been serious, there have been no fatalities.
“I got up and I saw a car overturned abroad on the road. I got an awful fright. It was only last week that another car crashed into the house and that was the sixth time that happened.”
The retired farmer rarely uses his front door nowadays and for safety reasonsalways enters and leaves his home by the back door.
His son Aidan said: “Of all the crashes here, cars have ended up in the garden six times now and the wall has been knocked every time. We asked the council to put a crash barrier there but they said because of liability issues we would have to do it ourselves. But then we would be liable if someone hit it and was hurt.”
Local Councillor Pat Hayes said: “There is a duty on Clare County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA), when there is a known accident blackspot like this, to erect crash barriers and other safety measures.”
The NRA has said: “The matter is for Clare County Council to deal with, not ourselves.”
A comment from the local authority is awaited.
