Four more die on roads despite Garda plea for greater vigilance
Two men were killed, one in his 60s and the other in his 30s, and at least a dozen others were injured following a collision between a bus and a van in bad weather in north Co Galway last night.
The driver of the bus and the driver of the van were killed at Glennafosha on the N17 Galway-Tuam road.
The accident happened around 7.45pm about 5km from Tuam. The bus, with carrying about 27 passengers, was travelling towards Galway when it collided with the van which going in the opposite direction.
The bus had started its journey at Swinford and picked up students travelling to Limerick to attend the University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate College and Limerick Institute of Technology.
Driving conditions in the area were extremely poor at the time.
Emergency crews arriving at the scene of the carnage closed the road. Six ambulances arrived at the scene and took 10 of the injured to Galway University College Hospital, about 20km away. Another bus came to take more of the injured to hospital.
Diversions will be in place for most of today with traffic travelling out from Galway being diverted through Corofin village, while traffic coming from Tuam is being diverted at Belclare across to Headford.
On Friday, Assistant Garda Commissioner John Twomey made a plea to anyone using the roads to take extra care after 35 people died in just 31 days last month, the worst level since February 2008.
His comments came the same day as Nessa Byrne, a pedestrian in her 50s originally from Tuam, Co Galway, who was living in Ballinalsoe, died after being hit by a car on the old Galway-Dublin N6 road at Ballydangan, about 4km east of where she lived.
On Saturday, a 30-year- old man lost his life after a three-car collision in Co Meath.
The man, a passenger, sustained serious injuries during the incident, which took place just after 3.30pm on the Virginia Road in Oldcastle. Medics at Cavan General Hospital were unable to save him.
Less than 18 hours later another tragedy occurred when a 51-year-old cyclist was struck by a car while travelling along the Mountmellick to Emo Road in Co Laois.
The man was hit at about 9am yesterday and suffered serious injuries. He died at the scene.
A woman in her 20s, who was driving the car, received minor injuries and was last night being treated at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise.
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