Three more die in road accidents

Three people died in road accidents today after a spate of deaths in crashes over the Bank Holiday weekend and despite pleas for drivers to take extra care.

Eleven people have now died on the roads since last Friday evening.

Gardaí said a man was killed and a woman seriously injured when the motorbike they were riding collided with a car head-on on the Midleton to Tallow road, Co Cork.

The crash happened near Dungourney village shortly before 6.30pm tonight.

The dead man, in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman, also in her 20s, was rushed to Cork University Hospital.

In Ballina, Co Mayo, a man in his 70s died following a crash on O’Rahilly Street.

Gardaí said the pensioner was alone in the car when he lost control at 8pm. No other vehicle was involved.

In Sligo, an elderly woman died when the car she was driving collided with a truck on the Bundoran Road at around 11.40am.

The road death toll is now 123 for the year, compared to 138 at the same time last year.

Road safety chiefs had appealed for drivers to take extra care after eight people died in a series of road accidents between Friday and Sunday night.

The tragic accidents included the deaths of two brothers who were in a car which crashed into a tractor and bailing machine on the N25 at Grange, Ardmore, Co Waterford on Saturday.

Ian Wall from Colligan in Waterford died in hospital hours after his brother David was pronounced dead.

Elsewhere two men were killed in a motorbike accident in Lixnaw Co Kerry, while three men died in separate accidents in Drimoleague, Co Cork, Durrow, Co Laois and Tooma, Cloone, Co Leitrim.

A women aged in her 70s died when the car in which she was a front-seat passenger collided with a camper van in Bearna, Co Galway on Saturday.