Teenage motorist dies after his car strikes a tree and flips onto roof

A TEENAGER was killed when the car he was driving struck a tree in Co Cork and flipped onto its roof.

Declan O’Mahony, 17, from Tower in Blarney, Co Cork, was pronounced dead at the scene after the accident on the N71 road between Clonakilty and Bandon at about 3.35am.

He was the sole occupant of the dark green Toyota Avensis and was driving east towards Bandon when the car struck a tree in the townland of Cashelmore, in an area known locally as the Black Sticks Cross.

A passerby came across the accident about 7km outside Bandon and raised the alarm.

Two units of the county fire service and an ambulance attended but Mr O’Mahony was pronounced dead at the scene.

The remains were removed to Cork University Hospital where a postmortem examination took place to determine the exact cause of death.

The road, which has been resurfaced and upgraded in recent months, was closed for several hours for a full technical examination by garda forensic collision investigators.

Gardaí are now trying to trace the movements of both the vehicle and Mr O’Mahony in the hours before the crash.

They issued an appeal for anyone who saw the vehicle in the Bandon or Clonakilty areas at about 3am to contact them in Bandon on 023-8852200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

They will prepare a detailed file for the coroner’s court in due course.

Mr O’Mahony is survived by his parents, Geraldine and Anthony, and his sister Lynda. His brother Tony died a few years ago.

Meanwhile, a Polish man has died following a single-vehicle accident in Co Offaly.

The accident occurred at Clonbullogue at about 8pm on Tuesday.

The victim, who was in his 30s, is believed to have walked from the wreckage to an ambulance following the accident.

He was removed to the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore where he collapsed and died at 9.30pm from suspected internal injuries.

The man was married and worked as a farm labourer in Co Offaly.

Their deaths bring to 60 the total number of people to die on Irish roads so far this year — 11 more than for the same period last year.