Five die in road accidents

Five people have died in separate road accidents over the weekend bringing the death toll for the year to 141.

Gardaí today said the latest victim was a man in his 50s who died after being hit by a car as he crossed a road near Fermoy, Co Cork.

The crash happened at 11.30pm last night in an area known as Grange, three quarters of a mile outside the town.

Elsewhere, four men including two motorcyclists were killed and a woman was left fighting for her life in other crashes.

The dead included a young man in his 20s who was killed after his car went into a field on the Castlerea road near Roscommon just before 6pm yesterday.

Earlier in the day a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle left the road on the main Cootehill to Ballybay Road in Co Monaghan. The dead man was in his 40s.

A motorcyclist also died in Co Monaghan when he collided head on with a car at 10.30am.

The victim, aged in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene at Aghalisk, Clones Road, Monaghan.

Elsewhere, a motorcyclist in his 30s was killed during a race event at Crossakiel in Co Meath.

He was taking part in an event as part of Sunday’s annual Kells Motorbike Road Races at the time.

Meanwhile a woman in her 50s is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a truck while horse riding.

The accident happened at around 10am on the R666 road from Fermoy to Ballyduff.

Gardaí said the driver of the truck, also in his 50s, was also taken to Cork University Hospital, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.