Donegal crash: Second fatality confirmed as mother of six-year-old girl dies

The collision occurred on the R240 at Carrowmore, Glentogher, Carndonagh shortly before 6.30pm on Wednesday. Picture: North West Newspix

A Co Donegal community was left devastated last night after a mother and daughter died following a road collision in the county on Wednesday evening.

The young girl, aged six, died after a collision between a car and a van at Glentogher outside Carndonagh at 6.30pm.

Her mother, who was in her 20s, was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry and then transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for further treatment.

However, the woman, a local nurse based in Carndonagh, died from her injuries this afternoon.

A Garda statement has just confirmed "A female passenger of the car, aged six years, was fatally injured.

"The driver of the car, a woman aged in her 20s, who was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, has since passed away."

A female child, who was a rear passenger, is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries in the hospital.

A male front-seat passenger in his 30s is also receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at Altnagelvin Hospital.

All are believed to be members of the same family.

Cathaoirleach of the Inishowen Municipal Authority, Councillor Martin McDermott, who knows the family personally, said the loss of both a young girl and her mother is especially poignant.

"It's just devastating. The loss of anybody on our roads is difficult for any community to take," he said.

"But the loss of a mother and daughter, particularly given the fact that they are so young, is even more poignant and more difficult to accept.

"People are just numb, and there is very little I can add to that other than to keep them all in our thoughts and prayers."

The deaths bring to ten the number of people who have died on Donegal’s roads so far this year.

A priest at the centre of last night’s tragedy spoke of his deep sadness after visiting the family in hospital as medics worked to help those caught up in the collision.

Parish priest of Carndonagh, Fr Con McLaughlin, said he will never forget the scenes he witnessed in the Accident and Emergency unit of Altnagelvin Hospital.

Fr McLaughlin said he was not at the scene but rushed to the hospital to provide comfort.

"On hearing about the accident, I went straight over to Altnagelvin Hospital and the scene (in accident and emergency) is something I will never forget," he said.

"In the community,y there is a shock and a disbelief. One can only imagine what the family are going through, and I witnessed that pain in the hospital last night.

"The scene in the hospital was just so, so sad. You had doctors and nurses running around trying to do their best to help these poor, helpless people. It is something I will never, ever forget.

"I just wanted to be a presence there for the famil,y and I did not speak too much but I just wanted them to know that we are all there for them."

Fr McLaughlin said the people of Inishowen are once again suffering tragedy on their roads, an experience they sadly know too well.

"Pain is no stranger to the people of Inishowen as there has been so, so many tragic deaths," he said. 

"I remember being present in Buncrana when there was a series of multiple deaths there between 2005 and 2008, and once again tragedy has struck our people and I'm quite sure it revives many painful memories for many people in Inishowen as indeed it does for me."

Local Donegal County Councillor Joy Beard said the Inishowen Peninsula has again been stunned into silence and grief by another tragedy on its roads.

"The entire community is just numb and once again just lost for words. There are simply no words at this time," she said.

"Inishowen has known more than its fair share of tragedy on its roads over the years and it has happened again.

"All we can do is to simply pray for this poor child and to pray that the other poor people involved make a recovery.

"Our thoughts and prayers are also with the emergency services who attended the scene and who work under tremendous pressure but who always put others first in such difficult circumstances."

The scene of the tragedy remains closed as Gardaí carry out a full forensic examination to determine the cause.

Head of the Garda Traffic Corps in Donegal, Inspector Sean McDaid of Buncrana Garda Station, has appealed for witnesses.

He requested that anyone who saw the collision, especially road users with camera footage (including dashcams), contact Buncrana Garda Station, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

'Community once again is raw with grief'

Earlier, Carndonagh Sinn Féin councillor Albert Doherty said the local community was “raw with grief” at the news of the young girl's death. 

“This tragic accident has just confirmed the terrible news that we heard after the accident. There's been one fatality, three seriously injured and our local community once again is raw with grief.

"Our local community just feels devastated that once again a local family have been challenged and [is] having to face the loss of a loved one, it's terrible news here.” 

Mr Doherty told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that conditions for driving at the time had been favourable, but said the road in question has been the scene of previous fatal accidents.

“Unfortunately, locally here in Carndonagh at the turn of this year, we had the tragic loss of a young man. And here again now, a local family are having to face the terrible, terrible burden of losing a loved one. So at this stage, news is still coming out."

He said the community is hoping that those who were taken to Altnagelvin make a full recovery. 

"And we do offer to the family and the extended family our full support as a community. And also I suppose I have to thank all involved in emergency response for their assistance with the family, and for the local community on this and on previous occasions.”