Car crash victim dies as friend fights for life

A young woman was last night fighting for her life in hospital following a devastating car crash in Skibbereen, Co Cork, which left 22-year-old local woman Meg Johnston dead.

Six people — two males and four women — were travelling in a silver BMW car when it rammed into an ESB electricity pole at about 1.45am yesterday at Hurley’s roundabout on the edge of the town.

It is understood three of the six people in the car were thrown from the vehicle, such was the ferocity of the impact.

Meg — who had recently taken a break from a study course to move back to Skibbereen to care for her mother, who has been ill — was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another girl, also from the Skibbereen area, was last night in a critical condition in Cork University Hospital following the accident. In total, four occupants of the car were treated in CUH, including the driver of the vehicle, a local man in his mid-20s, who was arrested at the scene. The injuries of the three males being treated at CUH were described as not life-threatening.

It is understood Meg, who was from Skibbereen, had worked in restaurants in Baltimore and Castletownshend and had also worked for a time in Australia at the Pink House Hotel in Sydney.

It is believed she returned home from Australia after a few months and that more recently she had been devoting her time to looking after her mother as she recovers from an illness.

Her mother has been receiving treatment in nearby Bantry Hospital and it is understood Meg had been with her earlier on Sunday in Skibbereen.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to the collision to contact them.

The car approached the roundabout from the Leap side and seemed to have been travelling in the direction of Schull on the N71 bypass road.

One possibility is that some of the occupants of the car, who live in Skibbereen, were being dropped home.

The left-hand side of the car was badly damaged by the impact with the pole. The base of the pole was encased in concrete but was dislodged from the ground by the force of the collision.

The other female occupant is understood to have recently been working at a hotel in the locality and is also in her early 20s. She is understood to have suffered severe injuries in the impact, including damage to her spine.

The road where the collision occurred was closed for a time yesterday to allow for an examination of the scene by Garda forensic collision investigators.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Clonakilty Garda Station on 023 8821570, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.