Five killed in Donegal road accidents

The county of Donegal is today mourning the death of five people killed in road accidents over St Patrick’s weekend.

Three motorists, one passenger, and a pedestrian, the victim of a hit-and-run, died in less than 24 hours in a number of collisions across the county.

The death toll rose as gardaí reported the arrests of 267 suspected drink drivers so far this bank holiday weekend.

Their deaths take the total number of people killed in road accidents so far this year to 64.

The death toll on the roads began at noon yesterday when a man in his late teens died when the car he was a passenger in crashed into a wall at Derryart.

The driver, who suffered serious injuries, remains in a stable condition in hospital.

In the early hours of the morning a 59-year-old man driving a tractor left the road and went into a field at Mountcharles at 2am.

Just over an hour later a male driver and his female passenger were both killed when his car hit a tree at Craig, in Muff. The 19-year-old woman died from her injuries in Altnagelvin Hospital.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Letterkenny are today investigating a hit and run accident in which a woman was killed when she was struck by a car at Newline Road shortly before 4am.

“The scene has been preserved for technical examination,” said a garda spokesman.

“Any person with information is asked to contact Letterkenny Garda station.”

Road safety chiefs and gardai had appealed to motorists take extra care on the roads over the bank holiday weekend.

Drivers were warned not to drink and drive, to reduce their speed and to be aware of pedestrians under the influence of drink.

But as the St Patrick’s festivities began, gardai reported that 60 drink drivers had arrested between midnight and 10.30am yesterday morning.

That figures rose as officers revealed a further 207 motorists were stopped for suspected incidents of drink driving in the 24 hour period between 10.30am yesterday to 10.30 am today.

“Gardaí are again renewing their appeal to motorists to exercise care on the road and not to break the drink driving legislation,” added a garda spokesman.