160 drivers turn out to pay tribute to road victim
The drivers, almost all of them driving modified cars, were marking what would have been the 21st birthday of Daniel Douglas, who died at the wheel of his own car in March 2011.
Daniel was driving to school on the Scotshouse to Clones road in Monaghan when he hit an icy patch, skidded, and collided with a van.
He died later in hospital.
A memorial car show and cruise was held in Clones over the weekend to mark his birthday and drive home a safety message to drivers.
It comes in the wake of the latest tragedies on Irish roads, which pushed the number of victims so far this year to 115.
Niamh Campbell, a 23-year-old hairdresser from Claremorris, Co Mayo, and Margaret Keady, a mother of five from Moycullen, Co Galway, were both killed in crashes over the weekend.
Among the speakers at the event in Clones, which raised over €10,000 to continue the road safety initiative, were Cavan General Hospital consultant Dr Ashraf Butt. He spoke about the injuries and trauma he witnesses in the emergency department as a result of speeding by drivers.
Daniel’s mother Martina also spoke of her loss. “Daniel was just 17 when he died. He was on life support for five days and it was a very long five days. It was a tough decision for us, but we ended up donating his organs,” she said.
“The show was to get the message out to try to stop young drivers from making a silly mistake that would wreck families, just like ours has been wrecked.”
