Kilkenny crash: 12 injured, including 8 children, on 'very bad stretch of road'

The collision occurred on the N77 at Ardloo near the Dinan Bridge shortly after 10.20am. Picture: Dylan Vaughan

Twelve people, including eight children, have been hospitalised following a collision involving a bus and a lorry in Co Kilkenny on Thursday.

A group of around 40 transition year students from Coláiste Phobal Roscrea in Co Tipperary were travelling to Kilkenny with their teachers in a bus when the collision took place on the N77 at Ardloo near the Dinan Bridge shortly after 10.20am.

The lorry driver, a man in his 40s, was airlifted to Tallaght University Hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the bus, a man in his 50s, was taken to Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Eight children and two teachers who were on the bus were taken to St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny for treatment and assessment. Their injuries are described as non-life threatening.

A spokesperson for the school said that one student and one teacher remain in hospital at this time.

“NEPS, the psychological support service of the Department of Education, are supporting the school, and the school’s Critical Incident Team has been convened,” the spokesperson said.

“We will be working with staff and students affected to ensure they receive any necessary supports after experiencing this traumatic event.” 

Coláiste Phobal Roscrea and its patron Tipperary ETB expressed its thoughts and well wishes to the students as well as the drivers of both vehicles who are receiving treatment for their injuries.

Local Fine Gael councillor in Roscrea in Tipperary Noel Coonan said: “We hope that they’ll all recover well, it’s tragic for this to happen at any time but particularly near Christmas.”

Meanwhile, the road where the collision took place has now been reopened, according to Fianna Fáil councillor Pat Fitzpatrick.

He commended the emergency services for their response, particularly noting that the driver of the truck was airlifted to Tallaght University Hospital within 12 minutes after leaving the scene. 

Mr Fitzpatrick said that location of the collision was a “very bad stretch of road”.

“It has been campaigned for years to widen that stretch of road, improvement works have taken place on it but it’s certainly not enough,” he said, adding that he will be seeking further safety features around the bridge and the road once a technical examination is concluded.

“It’s only by the luck of God that we didn’t have a major catastrophe here this morning,” he said.

Knowing the danger of the road and the bridge, Mr Fitzpatrick said his stomach was churning as he arrived at the scene, unaware of the extent of the injuries.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Michael McCarthy said it is concerning that there have been collisions in the past, noting that Dinan Bridge is “very narrow”.

Gardaí in Kilkenny are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward.

"Road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) from the N77 in the vicinity of Ardloo at the time of the collision are asked to make it available to investigating gardaí," a garda spokesperson said.

"Anyone with any information is asked to contact Kilkenny Garda station on 056 7775000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.