Elderly couple die in collision
The 77-year-old male driver of the motorcycle and his 66-year-old pillion passenger died in the collision. The couple, believed to be from France, were pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor.
The occupants of the car — two adults and two children — escaped uninjured but were said to be shocked by the incident.
Two units of Gort fire brigade and an ambulance from Galway attended the incident. Gardaí from Gort were assisted by colleagues from Ennistymon in Co Clare.
A hearse arrived at the scene at around 6.30pm and later removed the bodies to Galway University Hospital where postmortem examinations are expected to be carried out this morning.
The area where the accident occurred has been the scene of several serious accidents in recent years.
One local woman said: “A man broke his leg when he came off his motorbike at the same place last Sunday and not so long ago, another man lost some toes in a crash here.”
The road was closed for several hours last night to facilitate a forensic collision investigation.
Gardaí at Gort have appealed for any witnesses to the collision to contact them on 091 636400.
